Model for Prediction Across Scales

The Model for Prediction Across Scales (MPAS) is a coupled Earth system modeling package that integrates atmospheric, oceanographic and cryospheric modeling on a variety of scales from the planetary to regional and mesoscale/microscale. It includes climate and weather modeling and simulations that were first used by researchers in 2013.[1] The atmospheric components (MPAS-A) were led by the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR)'s Earth System Laboratory (NESL) and the oceanographic components (MPAS-O) by the Climate, Ocean, and Sea Ice Modeling Group (COSIM) at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL).[2] It has been used for real-time weather as well as seasonal forecasting of convection, tornadoes[3] and tropical cyclones,[4] among other uses. Its atmospheric modeling aspects are intended to use[5] and complement rather than replace the Weather Research and Forecasting Model (WRF-ARW/NMM), the Global Forecast System (GFS) and the Community Earth System Model (CESM).[6]

It enables scientists improving the simulation of complex phenomena while not having to contend with myriad routine computational details[7]