Abstract

The thermosphere-ionosphere-electrodynamics general circulation model (TIE-GCM) is a global 3-D numerical community model developed and maintained at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR). TIE-GCM simulates the coupled thermosphere/ionosphere system from ˜97 to ˜600 km altitude. The... Show moreThe thermosphere-ionosphere-electrodynamics general circulation model (TIE-GCM) is a global 3-D numerical community model developed and maintained at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR). TIE-GCM simulates the coupled thermosphere/ionosphere system from ˜97 to ˜600 km altitude. The TIE-GCM self-consistently solves the fully coupled, nonlinear, hydrodynamic, thermodynamic, and continuity equations of the neutral gas, the ion and electron energy and momentum equations, the ion continuity equation, and neutral wind dynamo. It also can be run at the NASA Community Coordinated Modeling Center (CCMC), and is a component of the coupled magnetosphere-ionosphere-thermosphere Model (CMIT). This chapter describes the TIE-GCM development history, model elements, model input and output, the equations solved, boundary conditions, and numerical techniques. Some model validation examples are shown, and future improvements and developments are discussed. Show less