In the context of NCAR's global climate model CAM-SE (Community Atmosphere Model - Spectral-Elements) based on a cubed-sphere spectral-element dynamical core, we explore the consequences of separating dynamics, physics and tracer transport grids. To maintain important conservation properties, conservative spectral-element to finite-volume grid (and vice versa) interpolations methods had to be developed as well as consistent coupling between the finite-volume transport scheme and spectral-element dynamics. The model has the functionality to compute the sub-grid-scale parameterizations (physics) based on a dynamics state integrated over a coarser or finer resolution finite-volume grid. The consequences of separating grids, and thereby spatial scales, on the model climate will be discussed.