Mars Climate Modeling Center

The Mars Climate Modeling Center (MCMC) is a NASA research facility located at the NASA Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, California, within the Planetary Systems Branch of the Space Science and Astrobiology Division.NASA Mars Climate Modeling Center. "MCMC Overview." https://www.nasa.gov/space-science-and-astrobiology-at-ames/division-overview/planetary-systems-branch-overview-stt/mars-climate-modeling-center/ The MCMC develops and maintains Mars Global Climate Models (MGCMs) (or Mars general circulation models) of the Martian atmosphere, provides climate model output and analysis tools to the research community, and supports NASA Mars exploration missions.NASA Mars Climate Modeling Center. "The History of Mars General Circulation Modeling." https://www.nasa.gov/the-history-of-mars-general-circulation-modeling/ Its core functions include conducting scientific research, developing Mars GCMs, providing model data products, supporting NASA missions,NASA Mars Climate Modeling Center. "Mission Involvement." https://www.nasa.gov/space-science-and-astrobiology-at-ames/division-overview/planetary-systems-branch-overview-stt/mars-climate-modeling-center/mcmc-mission-involvement/ and engaging the broader scientific community.NASA Mars Climate Modeling Center. "Workshops and Meetings." https://www.nasa.gov/space-science-and-astrobiology-at-ames/division-overview/planetary-systems-branch-overview-stt/mars-climate-modeling-center/mcmc-workshops-and-meetings/

History

Origins: The Leovy–Mintz UCLA model (1960s)

Mars global climate modeling traces its origins to the 1960s, when Conway Leovy and Yale Mintz adapted the UCLA two-level atmospheric model to study the wind systems, thermal structure, and energetics of the Martian atmosphere.Leovy, C. and Mintz, Y. (1969). "Numerical Simulation of the Atmospheric Circulation and Climate of Mars." Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences, 26(6), 1167–1190 Pollack's first major GCM paper, co-authored with Leovy, Greiman, and Mintz and published in 1981 in the Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences, presented results from a three-layer model that incorporated realistic Martian topography, a diurnally-varying convective boundary layer, and the first simulation of topographically forced stationary planetary waves on Mars.Pollack, J. B., Leovy, C. B., Greiman, P. W., and Mintz, Y. (1981). "A Martian general circulation experiment with large topography." J. Atmos. Sci., 38(1), 3–29. https://doi.org/10.1175/1520-0469(1981)038%3C0003:AMGCEW%3E2.0.CO;2 Pollack's scientific vision — that a GCM was an essential tool for interpreting spacecraft observations and guiding mission planning — shaped the character of the group for decades. In his memory, a road on the NASA Ames campus has been named Pollack Road.

Establishment at NASA Ames (Early 1970s) Jim Pollack, who joined NASA's Ames Research Center in the early 1970s, recognized the importance of Martian climate modeling for the agency's Mars Exploration Program. Collaborating with Leovy and Mintz, Pollack transferred the model to Ames, where it has continued to evolve ever since.NASA MCMC. "The History of Mars General Circulation Modeling." NASA Ames Research Center. https://www.nasa.gov/the-history-of-mars-general-circulation-modeling/ Pollack's role was foundational: his scientific vision shaped the character of the group for decades. In his honor, a road on the NASA Ames campus is named Pollack Road.

Model development through the 1980s and 1990s

Through the early 1980s it became increasingly clear that atmospheric dust plays a fundamental role in the atmosphere of Mars and in the development of global-scale dust storms.Haberle, R. M., et al. (1982). "Some Effects of Global Dust Storms on the Atmospheric Circulation of Mars." Icarus, 50(2–3), 322–367 In response, researchers implemented dust radiative-heating algorithms into the model, increased the number of vertical layers from three to thirteen, and developed several new diagnostic packages. These advances continued through the late 1980s and early 1990s.

When Pollack fell ill in 1992 and passed away in 1993, Bob Haberle assumed leadership of the effort and continued with Pollack's plans to improve the physics packages and to maintain active involvement in NASA Mars missions. During the 1990s the model's radiation code and boundary-layer scheme were upgraded,Haberle, R. M., et al. (1999). "General Circulation Model Simulations of the Mars Pathfinder Atmospheric Structure Investigation/Meteorology Data." Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets, 104(E4), 8957–8974 and a new dynamical core with a tracer-transport scheme was developed.Suarez, M. J. and Takacs, L. L. (1995). "Documentation of the Aries/GEOS Dynamical Core Version 2." NASA Technical Memorandum 104606, Vol. 5 By the early 2000s, Mars GCMs had shifted toward multi-annual simulations with tracer-transport capabilities, more sophisticated cloud microphysics, and improved dust-lifting schemes.

Formal development of the MCMC (2007–2018) Jeff Hollingsworth took over leadership of the Ames Mars GCM group in spring 2007 and led the group through a period of growth. He worked closely with NASA Headquarters to formally establish the Mars Climate Modeling Center as a NASA facility dedicated to providing model products and services to the community.

Current leadership (2019–present)

In January 2019, Melinda Kahre assumed leadership of the MCMC. Under her direction, the group has continued to expand. Kahre initiated the transition from the older Goddard C-grid dynamical core (the "Legacy MGCM") to the NOAA/GFDL cubed-sphere finite-volume ("FV3") dynamical core, which enables higher-resolution simulations. She has led the development of the new FV3-based Mars GCM (the "Ames MGCM"), which supports high-resolution science and mission-support applications, and has championed the public release of source code for both the Legacy GCM and the FV3-based GCM, as well as analysis tools and model output."The History of Mars General Circulation Modeling." NASA Ames Research Center. https://www.nasa.gov/the-history-of-mars-general-circulation-modeling/ The MCMC has been built on a rich tradition of training students, postdoctoral researchers, research associates, and civil servants. Students from high school through graduate level have contributed meaningfully to the group's scientific and technical goals, and several current team members advanced through successive positions within the MCMC itself.

Legacy Mars GCM

The Ames Legacy Mars GCM Haberle, R. M., Kahre, M. A., Hollingsworth, J. L., Montmessin, F., Wilson, R. J., Urata, R. A., … Brecht, A. S., Kling, A. L. M., & Schaeffer, J. R. (2019). Documentation of the NASA/Ames Legacy Mars Global Climate Model: Simulations of the present seasonal water cycle. Icarus, 333, 130–164. doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2019.03.026 represents the culmination of more than five decades of incremental development beginning with the Leovy–Mintz UCLA model. It uses the Goddard C-grid dynamical core and includes parameterizations of dust radiative heating, boundary-layer processes, cloud microphysics, tracer transport, and dust-lifting mechanisms, among others.Haberle, R. M., et al. (2021). "Documentation of the NASA/Ames Legacy Mars Global Climate Model: Simulations of the Present Seasonal Water Cycle." Icarus, 358, 114138 The Legacy model has been used to study the current climate of Mars as well as scenarios relevant to past climates and potential future states. Kahre, M. A., Haberle, R. M., Wilson, R. J., Urata, R. A., Steakley, K. E., Brecht, A. S., Bertrand, T., Kling, A. L. M., Batterson, C. M. L., Hartwick, V. L., Harman, C. E., & Gkouvelis, L. (2023). The NASA Ames legacy Mars global climate model: Radiation code error correction and new baseline water cycle simulation. Icarus, 400, 115561–115561. doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2023.115561 Haberle, R. M., Kahre, M. A., Barnes, J. R., Hollingsworth, J. L., & Wolff, M. J. (2020). MARCI observations of a wavenumber-2 large-scale feature in the north polar hood of Mars: Interpretation with the NASA/Ames Legacy Global Climate Model. Icarus, 335, 113367–113367. doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2019.07.001 Kahre, M. A., Haberle, R. M., Hollingsworth, J. L., & Wolff, M. J. (2020). MARCI-observed clouds in the Hellas Basin during northern hemisphere summer on Mars: Interpretation with the NASA/Ames Legacy Mars Global Climate Model. Icarus, 338, 113512–113512. doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2019.113512

Ames Mars GCM

The newer Ames Mars GCM was developed under Kahre's leadership. Its dynamical core is derived from the NOAA Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory (GFDL) cubed-sphere finite-volume (FV3) framework, the same core used in NOAA's operational weather prediction models on Earth. Coupled with the Ames Legacy GCM physics package and enhanced with newer physics parameterizations, this configuration enables higher-resolution simulations that are important for both scientific research and mission-support applications such as entry, descent, and landing (EDL) planning and landing-site selection.Kahre, M. A., et al. (2023). "The NASA Ames Mars Global Climate Models." Planetary Science Journal MCMC members have transitioned to using the Ames MGCM as the primary model for studies of the current climate and past climate of Mars (see the following peer-reviewed modeling studies: Mester, M., Wilson, R.J. & Kahre, M.A. (2026). Transient and tidal wave precursors and atmospheric impacts of Mars’ flushing storm initiated regional storms in reanalysis data. Icarus, 441. doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2025.116690 Mester, M., Wilson, R.J., Hollingsworth, J.L. & Kahre, M.A. (2026). The influence of Mars’ continental-scale topographic structures on its hemispheric asymmetry in baroclinic wave activity. Icarus, 444. doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2025.116833 Haberle, R.M., Kahre, M.A., Bertrand, T. & Wolff, M.J. (2025). Modeling studies of dust/gas non-thermal equilibrium in the Martian atmosphere. Icarus, 429. doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2024.116452 Hartwick, V.L., Kahre, M.A. & Haberle, R.M. (2025). Extremely tenuous, dusty terrestrial atmospheres remain stable against global collapse: An argument for arid planet habitability in the Trappist-1 system. The Astrophysics Journal, 990(2). doi:10.3847/1538-4357/adf42f Kling, A.L.M., Wilson, R.J., Kahre, M.A., Brecht, A.S. & Murphy, J. (2025). Impact of grid resolution on wave-mean flow interactions with high resolution Mars Global Climate Model simulations. GRL, 52(2). doi:10.1029/2024GL112297 Batterson, C. M. L., Kahre, M. A., Bridger, A. F. C., Wilson, R. J., Urata, R. A., & Bertrand, T. (2023). Modeling the “B” regional dust storm on Mars: Dust lofting mechanisms predicted by the new NASA Ames Mars GCM. Icarus, 400, 115542–115542. doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2023.115542 Steakley, K.E., Kahre, M.A. & Haberle, R.M. (2025). The effects of CO2 clouds on the thermal structure of the early Martian atmosphere. Icarus, 440. doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2025.116663 Urata, R.A., Bertrand, T., Kahre, M.A., Wilson, R.J., Kling, A.L.M. & Wolff, M.J. (2025). Impact of a bimodal dust distribution on the 2018 Martian global dust storm with the NASA Ames Mars global climate model. Icarus, 429. doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2024.116446 Steakley, K. E., Kahre, M. A., Haberle, R. M., & Zahnle, K. J. (2023). Impact induced H2-rich climates on early Mars explored with a global climate model. Icarus, 394, 115401–115401. doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2022.115401 Bertrand, T., Kahre, M. A., Urata, R. A., Määttänen, A., Montmessin, F., Wilson, R. J., & Wolff, M. J. (2022). Impact of the coagulation of dust particles on Mars during the 2018 global dust storm. Icarus, 388, 115239–115239. doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2022.115239 Hartwick, V. L., Toon, O. B., Lundquist, J. K., Pierpaoli, O. A., & Kahre, M. A. (2022). Assessment of wind energy resource potential for future human missions to Mars. Nature Astronomy, 7(3), 298–308. doi:10.1038/s41550-022-01851-4