Nonhydrostatic atmospheric models and operational development at JMA

This paper reviews nonhydrostatic atmospheric models for research and NWP. Classification of nonhydrostatic atmospheric models and numerical methods to treat sound waves are described with their relative advantages. The current operational nonhydrostatic NWP models at various forecast centers and community nonhydrostatic models for research are reviewed. Brief history and development of the JMA nonhydrostatic model, a community mesoscale model for research and NWP in Japan, is introduced. Current status and near future plans of the operational nonhydrostatic mesoscale model at JMA are presented.