Abstract: Sharing advantages of spectral method and finite element method,a spectral element method is used in numerical study of geophysical fluid dynamics.By solving barotropic primitive equations with spectral element method,a regional barotropic atmospheric model is developed.In the model,computational domain is broken into a series of triangular elements,and variables in each element are represented as a high order Lagrangian interpolant with products of Legendre polynomials with triangular truncation.With geopotential and wind at 08 o'clock on 15 May 2006 on pressure level of 500 hPa taken as initial value and fixed lateral boundary condition,simulations of typhoon movement with maximum orders of Legendre polynomials 3 and 7 are carried out,respectively.It showns that the simulated relation between wind and pressure is rational and realization of the numerical model is successful.

Key words: barotropic primitive equation, spectral element method, typhoon, numerical simulation