ATHENA dataset

The efficacy of using high spatial resolution in global climate models to improve their fidelity and acuity has been tested in an international collaboration called Project Athena. Inspired by the World Modeling Summit of 2008, Project Athena was made possible by the availability of dedicated high-‐end computing resources provided by the National Science Foundation from October 2009 through March 2010. Research results demonstrate the sensitivity of climate simulations to spatial resolution and the representation of sub-‐grid-‐ scale processes, suggesting a minimum resolution is required to simulate certain phenomena. Project Athena serves as a pilot project to demonstrate that an effective international collaboration can be formed to take advantage of dedicated computing resources. The outcomes of the project, while still unfolding, have a number of implications for the future of climate modeling and prediction.