This computation involved: ECHAM5 general circulation atmospheric model deployed on Max Planck Institute für Meteorologie computing facility. It is a computer-Fortan95 stand-alone general circulation atmospheric model (GCAM). The model can also run as part of a coupled atmosphere ocean GCM, or in assimilation mode by linear relaxation (nudging). This model is developed by the Max Planck Institute for Meteorology, one of the research organisations of the Max Planck Society. The model was given its name as a combination of its origin (the 'EC' being short for 'ECMWF') and the place of development of its parametrisation package, Hamburg. Model MPI-ECHAM4 (1996) is the fourth in a series of models developed at MPI that originally derive from cycle 17 of the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) model. The ECHAM4 model's immediate predecessor is AMIP baseline model MPI ECHAM3 (1992). ECHAM5 is currently the most recent version of the ECHAM model. Compared to its predecessor, ECHAM4, it is more portable and because of both major and minor changes to the different parts of code that it uses, it produces a significantly different simulated climate.
ECHAM5 hosts sub-models going beyond the usual meteorological processes of a GCM as, Interception of snow by the canopy, heat budget of the soil, lake mode, .orbital variations, Sedimentation and cloud microphysics, etc.