  We use the Massachusetts Institute of Technology general circulation model
(GCM) dynamical core, in conjunction with a Newtonian relaxation scheme that
relaxes to a gray, analytical solution of the radiative transfer equation, to
simulate a tidally locked, synchronously orbiting super-Earth exoplanet. This
hypothetical exoplanet is simulated under the following main assumptions: (1)
the size, mass, and orbital characteristics of GJ 1214b (Charbonneau et al.,
2009), (2) a greenhouse-gas dominated atmosphere, (3), the gas properties of
water vapor, and (4) a surface. We have performed a parameter sweep over global
mean surface pressure (0.1, 1, 10, and 100 bar) and global mean surface albedo
(0.1, 0.4, and 0.7). Given assumption (1) above, the period of rotation of this
exoplanet is 1.58 Earth-days, which we classify as the rapidly rotating regime.
Our parameter sweep differs from Heng and Vogt (2011), who performed their
study in the slowly rotating regime and using Held and Suarez (1994) thermal
forcing. This type of thermal forcing is a prescribed function, not related to
any radiative transfer, used to benchmark Earth's atmosphere. An equatorial,
westerly, superrotating jet is a robust feature in our GCM results. This
equatorial jet is westerly at all longitudes. At high latitudes, the flow is
easterly. The zonal winds do show a change with global mean surface pressure.
As global mean surface pressure increases, the speed of the equatorial jet
decreases between 9 and 15 hours local time (substellar point is located at 12
hours local time). The latitudinal extent of the equatorial jet increases on
the nightside. Furthermore, the zonal wind speed in the equatorial and
midlatitude jets decreases with increasing surface albedo. Also, the
latitudinal width of the equatorial jet decreases as surface albedo increases.
