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- Author or Editor: Vasubandhu Misra x
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Abstract
A methodology is proposed in which a few prognostic variables of a regional climate model (RCM) are strongly constrained at certain wavelengths to what is prescribed from the bias-corrected atmospheric general circulation model (AGCM; driver model) integrations. The goal of this strategy is to reduce the systematic errors in a RCM that mainly arise from two sources: the lateral boundary conditions and the RCM errors. Bias correction (which essentially corrects the climatology) of the forcing from the driving model addresses the former source while constraining the solution of the RCM beyond certain relatively large wavelengths in the regional domain [also termed as scale-selective bias correction (SSBC)] addresses the latter source of systematic errors in RCM. This methodology is applied to experiments over the South American monsoon region. It is found that the combination of bias correction and SSBC on the nested variables of divergence, vorticity, and the log of surface pressure of an RCM yields a major improvement in the simulation of the regional climate variability over South America from interannual to intraseasonal time scales. The basis for such a strategy is derived from a systematic empirical approach that involved over 100 regional seasonal climate integrations.
Abstract
A methodology is proposed in which a few prognostic variables of a regional climate model (RCM) are strongly constrained at certain wavelengths to what is prescribed from the bias-corrected atmospheric general circulation model (AGCM; driver model) integrations. The goal of this strategy is to reduce the systematic errors in a RCM that mainly arise from two sources: the lateral boundary conditions and the RCM errors. Bias correction (which essentially corrects the climatology) of the forcing from the driving model addresses the former source while constraining the solution of the RCM beyond certain relatively large wavelengths in the regional domain [also termed as scale-selective bias correction (SSBC)] addresses the latter source of systematic errors in RCM. This methodology is applied to experiments over the South American monsoon region. It is found that the combination of bias correction and SSBC on the nested variables of divergence, vorticity, and the log of surface pressure of an RCM yields a major improvement in the simulation of the regional climate variability over South America from interannual to intraseasonal time scales. The basis for such a strategy is derived from a systematic empirical approach that involved over 100 regional seasonal climate integrations.
Abstract
The remote influence of the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) strongly manifests over the equatorial Amazon (EA)—including parts of southern Venezuela, Guyana, French Guiana, and Suriname—when there is a large-scale anomalous upper-level divergence over continental tropical South America. Modeling studies conducted in this paper suggest that it is because of the modulation of the local diurnal cycle of the moisture flux convergence, which results in the local amplification of the ENSO signal over the EA. Further, it is shown that the local land surface feedback plays a relatively passive but important role of maintaining these interannual precipitation anomalies over the EA region.
Abstract
The remote influence of the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) strongly manifests over the equatorial Amazon (EA)—including parts of southern Venezuela, Guyana, French Guiana, and Suriname—when there is a large-scale anomalous upper-level divergence over continental tropical South America. Modeling studies conducted in this paper suggest that it is because of the modulation of the local diurnal cycle of the moisture flux convergence, which results in the local amplification of the ENSO signal over the EA. Further, it is shown that the local land surface feedback plays a relatively passive but important role of maintaining these interannual precipitation anomalies over the EA region.
Abstract
The dominant interannual variation of the austral summer South American monsoon season (SAM) is associated with El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO). Although this teleconnection provides a basis for the seasonal predictability of SAM, it is shown that the conventional tier-2 modeling approach of prescribing observed sea surface temperature (SST) is inappropriate to capture this teleconnection. Furthermore, such a forced atmospheric general circulation model (AGCM) simulation leads to degradation of the SAM precipitation variability.
However, when the same AGCM is coupled to an ocean general circulation model to allow for coupled air–sea interactions, then this ENSO–SAM teleconnection is reasonably well simulated. This is attributed to the role of air–sea coupling in modulating the large-scale east–west circulation, especially associated with Niño-3 SST anomalies. It is also shown that the land–atmosphere feedback in the SAM domain as a result of the inclusion of air–sea coupling is more robust. As a consequence of this stronger land–atmosphere feedback the decorrelation time of the daily rainfall in the SAM region is prolonged to match more closely with the observed behavior.
A subtle difference in the austral summer seasonal precipitation anomalies between that over the Amazon River basin (ARB) and the SAM core region is also drawn from this study in reference to the influence of the air–sea interaction. It is shown that the dominant interannual precipitation variability over the ARB is simulated both by the uncoupled and coupled (to OGCM) AGCM in contrast to that over the SAM core region in southeastern Brazil.
Abstract
The dominant interannual variation of the austral summer South American monsoon season (SAM) is associated with El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO). Although this teleconnection provides a basis for the seasonal predictability of SAM, it is shown that the conventional tier-2 modeling approach of prescribing observed sea surface temperature (SST) is inappropriate to capture this teleconnection. Furthermore, such a forced atmospheric general circulation model (AGCM) simulation leads to degradation of the SAM precipitation variability.
However, when the same AGCM is coupled to an ocean general circulation model to allow for coupled air–sea interactions, then this ENSO–SAM teleconnection is reasonably well simulated. This is attributed to the role of air–sea coupling in modulating the large-scale east–west circulation, especially associated with Niño-3 SST anomalies. It is also shown that the land–atmosphere feedback in the SAM domain as a result of the inclusion of air–sea coupling is more robust. As a consequence of this stronger land–atmosphere feedback the decorrelation time of the daily rainfall in the SAM region is prolonged to match more closely with the observed behavior.
A subtle difference in the austral summer seasonal precipitation anomalies between that over the Amazon River basin (ARB) and the SAM core region is also drawn from this study in reference to the influence of the air–sea interaction. It is shown that the dominant interannual precipitation variability over the ARB is simulated both by the uncoupled and coupled (to OGCM) AGCM in contrast to that over the SAM core region in southeastern Brazil.
Abstract
In this study predictability of austral summer seasonal precipitation over South America is investigated using a 12-yr set of a 3.5-month range (seasonal) and a 17-yr range (continuous multiannual) five-member ensemble integrations of the Center for Ocean–Land–Atmosphere Studies (COLA) atmospheric general circulation model (AGCM). These integrations were performed with prescribed observed sea surface temperature (SST); therefore, skill attained represents an estimate of the upper bound of the skill achievable by COLA AGCM with predicted SST. The seasonal runs outperform the multiannual model integrations both in deterministic and probabilistic skill. The simulation of the January–February–March (JFM) seasonal climatology of precipitation is vastly superior in the seasonal runs except over the Nordeste region where the multiannual runs show a marginal improvement. The teleconnection of the ensemble mean JFM precipitation over tropical South America with global contemporaneous observed sea surface temperature in the seasonal runs conforms more closely to observations than in the multiannual runs. Both the sets of runs clearly beat persistence in predicting the interannual precipitation anomalies over the Amazon River basin, Nordeste, South Atlantic convergence zone, and subtropical South America. However, both types of runs display poorer simulations over subtropical regions than the tropical areas of South America. The examination of probabilistic skill of precipitation supports the conclusions from deterministic skill analysis that the seasonal runs yield superior simulations than the multiannual-type runs.
Abstract
In this study predictability of austral summer seasonal precipitation over South America is investigated using a 12-yr set of a 3.5-month range (seasonal) and a 17-yr range (continuous multiannual) five-member ensemble integrations of the Center for Ocean–Land–Atmosphere Studies (COLA) atmospheric general circulation model (AGCM). These integrations were performed with prescribed observed sea surface temperature (SST); therefore, skill attained represents an estimate of the upper bound of the skill achievable by COLA AGCM with predicted SST. The seasonal runs outperform the multiannual model integrations both in deterministic and probabilistic skill. The simulation of the January–February–March (JFM) seasonal climatology of precipitation is vastly superior in the seasonal runs except over the Nordeste region where the multiannual runs show a marginal improvement. The teleconnection of the ensemble mean JFM precipitation over tropical South America with global contemporaneous observed sea surface temperature in the seasonal runs conforms more closely to observations than in the multiannual runs. Both the sets of runs clearly beat persistence in predicting the interannual precipitation anomalies over the Amazon River basin, Nordeste, South Atlantic convergence zone, and subtropical South America. However, both types of runs display poorer simulations over subtropical regions than the tropical areas of South America. The examination of probabilistic skill of precipitation supports the conclusions from deterministic skill analysis that the seasonal runs yield superior simulations than the multiannual-type runs.
Abstract
This study reveals the inadequacy of the Center for Ocean–Land–Atmosphere Studies (COLA) atmospheric general circulation model (AGCM) and the National Centers for Environmental Prediction–National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCEP–NCAR) reanalysis to resolve the variance of the intraseasonal anomalies of outgoing longwave radiation (OLR) over the South American summer monsoon (SASM) domain and the equatorial eastern Pacific Ocean (EEPO) owing to their coarse horizontal resolution. However, when the NCEP–NCAR reanalysis is downscaled by roughly a factor of 2.5 using the Regional Spectral Model (RSM; control-A experiment), the simulation of the seasonal mean variance of intraseasonal anomalies of OLR improves significantly. But downscaling the results of the COLA AGCM (control-B experiment) by roughly a factor of 4 led to no further improvement.
Using the novel technique of anomaly nesting, which replaces the climatology of the COLA AGCM of the nested variables at the lateral boundaries of the RSM with the NCEP–NCAR reanalysis climatology (AN experiment), the simulation of the intraseasonal variance of OLR improves significantly over control-B runs. This improvement is shown to coincide with a distinct diurnal variation of the intraseasonal scales displayed in the AN integrations, which compare reasonably well with control-A integrations. A disappointing result of this study is that the generated variance of intraseasonal anomalies of OLR in the AN integrations arises from the internal variability of the model. However, it is concluded that the systematic errors of the COLA AGCM imposed on RSM from the lateral boundary conditions suppress the generation of intraseasonal variability.
Abstract
This study reveals the inadequacy of the Center for Ocean–Land–Atmosphere Studies (COLA) atmospheric general circulation model (AGCM) and the National Centers for Environmental Prediction–National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCEP–NCAR) reanalysis to resolve the variance of the intraseasonal anomalies of outgoing longwave radiation (OLR) over the South American summer monsoon (SASM) domain and the equatorial eastern Pacific Ocean (EEPO) owing to their coarse horizontal resolution. However, when the NCEP–NCAR reanalysis is downscaled by roughly a factor of 2.5 using the Regional Spectral Model (RSM; control-A experiment), the simulation of the seasonal mean variance of intraseasonal anomalies of OLR improves significantly. But downscaling the results of the COLA AGCM (control-B experiment) by roughly a factor of 4 led to no further improvement.
Using the novel technique of anomaly nesting, which replaces the climatology of the COLA AGCM of the nested variables at the lateral boundaries of the RSM with the NCEP–NCAR reanalysis climatology (AN experiment), the simulation of the intraseasonal variance of OLR improves significantly over control-B runs. This improvement is shown to coincide with a distinct diurnal variation of the intraseasonal scales displayed in the AN integrations, which compare reasonably well with control-A integrations. A disappointing result of this study is that the generated variance of intraseasonal anomalies of OLR in the AN integrations arises from the internal variability of the model. However, it is concluded that the systematic errors of the COLA AGCM imposed on RSM from the lateral boundary conditions suppress the generation of intraseasonal variability.
Abstract
Shown in this study are a teleconnection pattern relating outgoing longwave radiation (OLR) anomalies over the western Pacific Ocean and sea surface temperature anomalies (SSTAs) over the western Indian Ocean over two seasons [September–October–November (SON) and December–January–February (DJF)] at zero lag from observations and atmospheric general circulation model (AGCM) integrations. This teleconnection pattern suggests that a positive SSTA in the SON and DJF seasons over the western Indian Ocean increases the contemporaneous positive OLR anomalies over the western Pacific Ocean. This teleconnection pattern is also simulated by the Center for Ocean–Land–Atmosphere studies (COLA) AGCM forced with observed SST. From the experimental COLA AGCM runs (wherein the Pacific Ocean SST variability is suppressed except for the climatological annual cycle), it is diagnosed that the interannual variability of OLR over the western Pacific Ocean persists because of this teleconnection. This teleconnection pattern is found to be associated with the modulation of the equatorial zonal wind circulation by the western Indian Ocean SSTAs.
Abstract
Shown in this study are a teleconnection pattern relating outgoing longwave radiation (OLR) anomalies over the western Pacific Ocean and sea surface temperature anomalies (SSTAs) over the western Indian Ocean over two seasons [September–October–November (SON) and December–January–February (DJF)] at zero lag from observations and atmospheric general circulation model (AGCM) integrations. This teleconnection pattern suggests that a positive SSTA in the SON and DJF seasons over the western Indian Ocean increases the contemporaneous positive OLR anomalies over the western Pacific Ocean. This teleconnection pattern is also simulated by the Center for Ocean–Land–Atmosphere studies (COLA) AGCM forced with observed SST. From the experimental COLA AGCM runs (wherein the Pacific Ocean SST variability is suppressed except for the climatological annual cycle), it is diagnosed that the interannual variability of OLR over the western Pacific Ocean persists because of this teleconnection. This teleconnection pattern is found to be associated with the modulation of the equatorial zonal wind circulation by the western Indian Ocean SSTAs.
Abstract
This study is an analysis of AGCM model results to understand the dynamics of the response of precipitation over southern Africa (SA) to anomalies in the sea surface temperature (SST) over the Pacific Ocean. The pattern of interannual precipitation anomaly over SA and its temporal variations are quite similar in both the ensemble mean of the control (where AGCM is forced with observed SSTs in all ocean basins) and experimental runs (where AGCM is forced with seasonally varying climatological SST over the Pacific Ocean). However, the amplitude of the variability is found to be relatively reduced in the experimental runs. This is shown to be a result of the modulation of the Walker circulation by the variability of Pacific Ocean SST. The regional teleconnection pattern between the dominant mode of SA precipitation variability and SST anomalies over the eastern Indian Ocean is also influenced by the variations in Pacific SST. The nature of the teleconnection between SA precipitation and eastern Indian SST is apparent only when the Pacific SST variability is excluded. This is corroborated from observations as well.
Abstract
This study is an analysis of AGCM model results to understand the dynamics of the response of precipitation over southern Africa (SA) to anomalies in the sea surface temperature (SST) over the Pacific Ocean. The pattern of interannual precipitation anomaly over SA and its temporal variations are quite similar in both the ensemble mean of the control (where AGCM is forced with observed SSTs in all ocean basins) and experimental runs (where AGCM is forced with seasonally varying climatological SST over the Pacific Ocean). However, the amplitude of the variability is found to be relatively reduced in the experimental runs. This is shown to be a result of the modulation of the Walker circulation by the variability of Pacific Ocean SST. The regional teleconnection pattern between the dominant mode of SA precipitation variability and SST anomalies over the eastern Indian Ocean is also influenced by the variations in Pacific SST. The nature of the teleconnection between SA precipitation and eastern Indian SST is apparent only when the Pacific SST variability is excluded. This is corroborated from observations as well.
Abstract
In this paper a methodology is proposed to downscale coarse-resolution atmospheric general circulation model (AGCM) seasonal simulations. Anomaly nesting involves replacing the climatology of the driving AGCM with observed (in this case the National Centers for Environmental Prediction reanalysis) climatology at the lateral boundaries of the nested regional climate model (the regional spectral model). In this study the methodology is tested over South America and the neighboring ocean basins. A comparison of the austral summer seasonal simulation with the conventional way of nesting, namely driving the regional model with full AGCM forcing, reveals that substantial gains in the deterministic skill are realized through anomaly nesting. It is also shown that the high-frequency variance (at 3–30- and 30–40-day time scales) is more realistic from the anomaly nesting procedure.
Abstract
In this paper a methodology is proposed to downscale coarse-resolution atmospheric general circulation model (AGCM) seasonal simulations. Anomaly nesting involves replacing the climatology of the driving AGCM with observed (in this case the National Centers for Environmental Prediction reanalysis) climatology at the lateral boundaries of the nested regional climate model (the regional spectral model). In this study the methodology is tested over South America and the neighboring ocean basins. A comparison of the austral summer seasonal simulation with the conventional way of nesting, namely driving the regional model with full AGCM forcing, reveals that substantial gains in the deterministic skill are realized through anomaly nesting. It is also shown that the high-frequency variance (at 3–30- and 30–40-day time scales) is more realistic from the anomaly nesting procedure.
Abstract
In this study we examine the thermodynamically and dynamically forced hydroclimatic changes in the four representative seasons over Peninsular Florida (PF) from an unprecedented pair of high-resolution regional coupled ocean–atmosphere model simulations conducted at 10-km grid spacing for both the atmospheric and the oceanic components forced by one of the global climate models that participated in CMIP5. The model simulation verifies reasonably well with the observations and captures the distinct seasonal cycle of the region. The projected change in the freshwater flux in the mid-twenty-first century (2041–60) relative to the late twentieth century (1986–2005) shows a precipitation deficit in the summer over PF, which is statistically significant. This projected change in freshwater flux over PF is enabled by the strengthening of the anticyclonic North Atlantic subtropical high circulation with corresponding changes in divergence of moisture, advection of moisture from changes in the winds and in the change in humidity gradient, and from the change in moisture flux convergence by the transient eddies. These changes suggest that a future warm climate could witness a drier summer over PF at the expense of a wetter West Florida Shelf. The analysis conducted in this study reveals that the changes in atmospheric circulation have a significant impact on the hydroclimate, far more than that implied by the Clausius–Clapeyron equation from changes in temperature.
Abstract
In this study we examine the thermodynamically and dynamically forced hydroclimatic changes in the four representative seasons over Peninsular Florida (PF) from an unprecedented pair of high-resolution regional coupled ocean–atmosphere model simulations conducted at 10-km grid spacing for both the atmospheric and the oceanic components forced by one of the global climate models that participated in CMIP5. The model simulation verifies reasonably well with the observations and captures the distinct seasonal cycle of the region. The projected change in the freshwater flux in the mid-twenty-first century (2041–60) relative to the late twentieth century (1986–2005) shows a precipitation deficit in the summer over PF, which is statistically significant. This projected change in freshwater flux over PF is enabled by the strengthening of the anticyclonic North Atlantic subtropical high circulation with corresponding changes in divergence of moisture, advection of moisture from changes in the winds and in the change in humidity gradient, and from the change in moisture flux convergence by the transient eddies. These changes suggest that a future warm climate could witness a drier summer over PF at the expense of a wetter West Florida Shelf. The analysis conducted in this study reveals that the changes in atmospheric circulation have a significant impact on the hydroclimate, far more than that implied by the Clausius–Clapeyron equation from changes in temperature.
Abstract
The fidelity of the interannual variability of precipitation over Nordeste is examined using the suite of the NCEP Climate Forecast System (CFS) seasonal hindcasts. These are coupled ocean–land–atmosphere multiseasonal integrations. It is shown that the Nordeste rainfall variability in the season of February–April has relatively low skill in the CFS seasonal hindcasts. Although Nordeste is a comparatively small region in the northeast of Brazil, the analysis indicates that the model has a large-scale error in the tropical Atlantic Ocean. The CFS exhibits a widespread El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) forcing over the tropical Atlantic Ocean. As a consequence of this remote ENSO forcing, the CFS builds an erroneous meridional SST gradient in the tropical Atlantic that is known from observations to be a critical forcing for the rainfall variability over Nordeste.
Abstract
The fidelity of the interannual variability of precipitation over Nordeste is examined using the suite of the NCEP Climate Forecast System (CFS) seasonal hindcasts. These are coupled ocean–land–atmosphere multiseasonal integrations. It is shown that the Nordeste rainfall variability in the season of February–April has relatively low skill in the CFS seasonal hindcasts. Although Nordeste is a comparatively small region in the northeast of Brazil, the analysis indicates that the model has a large-scale error in the tropical Atlantic Ocean. The CFS exhibits a widespread El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) forcing over the tropical Atlantic Ocean. As a consequence of this remote ENSO forcing, the CFS builds an erroneous meridional SST gradient in the tropical Atlantic that is known from observations to be a critical forcing for the rainfall variability over Nordeste.
