Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences

A decade of Antarctic science support through AMPS

Powers, J.G., Manning, K.W., D.H Bromwich, J.J. Cassano, and A.M. Cayette

2012, Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, 93, 1699-1712. doi:10.1175/BAMS-D-11-00186.1

The Antarctic Mesoscale Prediction System (AMPS) is a real-time numerical weather prediction (NWP) system covering Antarctica that has served a remarkable range of groups and activities for a decade. It employs the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model on varying-resolution grids to generate numerical guidance in a variety of tailored products. While its priority mission has been to support the forecasters of the United States Antarctic Program, AMPS has evolved to assist a host of scientific and logistical needs for an international user base. The AMPS effort has advanced polar NWP and Antarctic science and looks to continue this into another decade. To inform those with Antarctic scientific and logistical interests and needs, the history, applications, and capabilities of AMPS are discussed.