  We present a new planetary global circulation model, planetMPAS, based on the
state-of-the-art NCAR MPAS General Circulation Model. Taking advantage of the
cross compatibility between WRF and MPAS, planetMPAS includes most of the
planetWRF physics parameterization schemes for terrestrial planets such as Mars
and Titan. PlanetMPAS also includes a set of physics that represents radiative
transfer, dry convection, moist convection and its associated microphysics for
the Jovian atmosphere. We demonstrate that, despite the rigid-lid
approximation, planetMPAS is suitable to simulate the climate systems in
Martian and Jovian atmospheres with potential application to slow-rotating
planets such as Titan. Simulations using planetMPAS show that the new model can
reproduce many aspects of the observed features on Mars and Jupiter, such as
the seasonal CO2 cycle, polar argon enrichment, zonal mean temperature, and
qualitative dust opacity on Mars, as well as the equatorial superrotation and
banded zonal wind patterns on Jupiter.
