中文摘要：

随着空间探测技术和计算机能力的不断提高，近年来中层大气模式得到了快速的发展。简要概述了中层大气模式的现状及其发展中存在的问题和挑战，同时也阐述了中层大气模式在近年来研究中的一些主要应用和未来的发展前景。目前，完备的基于大气环流模式的中层大气模式大多只包括了对流层和平流层大气，少量的模式可达到中间层和热层大气。这些现有的中层大气模式对平流层的化学过程和一些动力过程都具有了一定的模拟能力，如能较好地模拟出南极臭氧空洞及其时间演变以及热带平流层大气中的准两年和准半年振荡信号。但是不同模式模拟结果之间的差异仍然是显著的，现有的中层大气模式还需要进一步的发展和完善。改进模式的辐射传输方案和重力波参数化方案，实现大气化学过程、动力过程和微物理过程的充分耦合，改善平流层以上的大气化学过程和物理过程在模式中的描述是目前正在进行的工作。中层大气模式目前已开始被广泛应用于大气科学研究的各个方面，进一步发展和完善中层大气模式不仅对天气、气候预报具有重要的意义，对空间科学的研究来讲也是需要的。

英文摘要：

With the development of the space exploration technology and the increase of computer power, a series of numerical models for the middle atmosphere have been developed in recent years. In this paper, an informal brief survey of the current issues and challenges in the development of comprehensive middle and upper atmospheric models are presented and the current and future research applications of models for the middle atmosphere are discussed. At present, the middle atmosphere models developed from the state of art general circulation models typically have a domain extending from the ground up to stratosphere and the lower part of the mesosphere. Few such models have their model tops extending up to the thermosphere. The most existing models for the middle atmosphere have the ability of simulating reasonably the atmospheric chemical and dynamical processes in the stratosphere such as the time evolution of the Antarctic ozone hole and signals of Quasi-biennial Oscillation and semi-annual Oscilla- tion in the equatorial stratosphere. However, uncertainties and differences in simulated results between models are still large. For the improvement of the middle atmosphere models, the radiation scheme and the gravity wave parameterisation scheme are the main focuses for physical processes, while the full coupling between atmospheric chemical and dynamical as well as micro-physical processes is another aspect of model development under way.Meanwhile, the description of chemical and physical processes above the stratosphere also needs improvement. The models for the middle atmosphere have wide applications in various atmospheric research fields. To further develop and improve such model is not only important for the weather and climate predictions but also useful for the research of the space science.