scholarly journals Seasonal and interannual variations of top-of-atmosphere irradiance and cloud cover over polar regions derived from the CERES data set

2006 ◽  
Vol 33 (19) ◽  
Author(s):  
Seiji Kato ◽  
Norman G. Loeb ◽  
Patrick Minnis ◽  
Jennifer A. Francis ◽  
Thomas P. Charlock ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cloud Cover ◽  
Polar Regions ◽  
Interannual Variations ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Seasonal And Interannual Variations

scholarly journals High Clouds over Oceans in the ECMWF 15- and 45-Yr Reanalyses

2005 ◽  
Vol 18 (14) ◽  
pp. 2647-2661 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frédéric Chevallier ◽  
Graeme Kelly ◽  
Adrian J. Simmons ◽  
Sakari Uppala ◽  
Angeles Hernandez
Keyword(s):  
Cloud Cover ◽  
Weather Prediction ◽  
Systematic Errors ◽  
Interannual Variations ◽  
The World ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Infrared Radiances ◽  
High Clouds ◽  
Seasonal And Interannual Variations ◽  
Ecmwf Reanalysis

Abstract The reanalysis programs of numerical weather prediction (NWP) centers provide global, comprehensive descriptions of the atmosphere and of the earth’s surface over long periods of time. The high realism of their representation of key NWP parameters, like temperature and winds, implies some realism for less emblematic parameters, such as cloud cover, but the degree of this realism needs to be documented. This study aims to evaluate the high clouds over open oceans in the ECMWF 15- and 45-yr reanalyses. The assessment is based on a new 23-yr climatology of monthly frequencies of high-cloud occurrence retrieved from the infrared radiances measured by operational polar satellites. It is complemented by data from the International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project. It is shown that the 45-yr ECMWF reanalysis dramatically improves on the previous 15-yr reanalysis for the realism of seasonal and interannual variations in high clouds, despite remaining systematic errors. More than 60% of the observed anomalies during the January 1979–February 2002 period over large oceanic basins are captured by the latest reanalysis. However the realism of the analyses in the areas and in the years with sparse observations appears to be poor. Consequently, the interannual variations may not be reliable before January 1979 in most parts of the world. Possible improvements of the handling of assimilated satellite observations before and after this date are suggested.

scholarly journals Interannual dynamics in intensity of mesoscale hydroxyl nightglow variations over Almaty

2018 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 63-68 ◽  
Author(s):  
А. Попов ◽  
A. Popov ◽  
Николай Гаврилов ◽  
Nikolay Gavrilov ◽  
А. Андреев ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gravity Waves ◽  
Emission Intensity ◽  
Rotational Temperature ◽  
Internal Gravity Waves ◽  
Average Intensity ◽  
Interannual Variations ◽  
Average Temperature ◽  
Monthly Average ◽  
Seasonal And Interannual Variations

The method of digital difference filters is applied to the data analysis of SATI observations of hydroxyl nightglow intensity and rotational temperature at altitudes 85–90 km over Almaty (43°03' N, 76°58' E), Kazakhstan, in 2010–2017. We examine seasonal and interannual variations in monthly average values and standard deviations of variations with periods 0.4–5.4 hrs, which may be associated with internal gravity waves in the mesopause region. The monthly average temperature near the mesopause has a maximum in winter and a minimum in June. The monthly average intensity has an additional maximum in June. Standard deviation of mesoscale rotational temperature variations and characteristics of internal gravity waves are maximum in spring and autumn. The spring maximum of mesoscale OH emission intensity variations is shifted to June. Interannual variations and multi-year trends of OH rotational temperature and emission intensity may differ in detail. This may be connected with seasonal and long-term variations in the complex system of the photochemical processes, which produce the OH nightglow.

scholarly journals Seasonal and interannual variations in the nitrogen cycle in the Arabian Sea

2014 ◽  
Vol 11 (20) ◽  
pp. 5733-5747 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. Rixen ◽  
A. Baum ◽  
B. Gaye ◽  
B. Nagel
Keyword(s):  
Indian Ocean ◽  
Nitrogen Cycle ◽  
Arabian Sea ◽  
Equatorial Indian Ocean ◽  
Global Ocean ◽  
Interannual Variations ◽  
Minimum Zone ◽  
Induced Changes ◽  
Seasonal And Interannual Variations ◽  
Sw Monsoon

Abstract. The Arabian Sea plays an important role in the marine nitrogen cycle because of its pronounced mid-water oxygen minimum zone (OMZ) in which bio-available nitrate (NO3−) is reduced to dinitrogen gas (N2). As the nitrogen cycle can respond fast to climate-induced changes in productivity and circulation, the Arabian Sea sediments are an important palaeoclimatic archive. In order to understand seasonal and interannual variations in the nitrogen cycle, nutrient data were obtained from the literature published prior to 1993, evaluated, and compared with data measured during five expeditions carried out in the framework of the Joint Global Ocean Flux Study (JGOFS) in the Arabian Sea in 1995 and during a research cruise of RV Meteor in 2007. The data comparison showed that the area characterized by a pronounced secondary nitrite maximum (SNM) was by 63% larger in 1995 than a similarly determined estimate based on pre-JGOFS data. This area, referred to as the core of the denitrifying zone, showed strong seasonal and interannual variations driven by the monsoon. During the SW monsoon, the SNM retreated eastward due to the inflow of oxygen-enriched Indian Ocean Central Water (ICW). During the NE monsoon, the SNM expanded westward because of the reversal of the current regime. On an interannual timescale, a weaker SW monsoon decreased the inflow of ICW from the equatorial Indian Ocean and increased the accumulation of denitrification tracers by extending the residence time of water in the SNM. This is supported by palaeoclimatic studies showing an enhanced preservation of accumulative denitrification tracers in marine sediments in conjunction with a weakening of the SW monsoon during the late Holocene.

scholarly journals Synoptic-scale controls of fog and low-cloud variability in the Namib Desert

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (6) ◽  
pp. 3415-3438 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hendrik Andersen ◽  
Jan Cermak ◽  
Julia Fuchs ◽  
Peter Knippertz ◽  
Marco Gaetani ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Cloud Cover ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Marine Boundary Layer ◽  
Synoptic Scale ◽  
Namib Desert ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Air Masses ◽  
Low Cloud ◽  
Low Cloud Cover

Abstract. Fog is a defining characteristic of the climate of the Namib Desert, and its water and nutrient input are important for local ecosystems. In part due to sparse observation data, the local mechanisms that lead to fog occurrence in the Namib are not yet fully understood, and to date, potential synoptic-scale controls have not been investigated. In this study, a recently established 14-year data set of satellite observations of fog and low clouds in the central Namib is analyzed in conjunction with reanalysis data in order to identify synoptic-scale patterns associated with fog and low-cloud variability in the central Namib during two seasons with different spatial fog occurrence patterns. It is found that during both seasons, mean sea level pressure and geopotential height at 500 hPa differ markedly between fog/low-cloud and clear days, with patterns indicating the presence of synoptic-scale disturbances on fog and low-cloud days. These regularly occurring disturbances increase the probability of fog and low-cloud occurrence in the central Namib in two main ways: (1) an anomalously dry free troposphere in the coastal region of the Namib leads to stronger longwave cooling of the marine boundary layer, increasing low-cloud cover, especially over the ocean where the anomaly is strongest; (2) local wind systems are modulated, leading to an onshore anomaly of marine boundary-layer air masses. This is consistent with air mass back trajectories and a principal component analysis of spatial wind patterns that point to advected marine boundary-layer air masses on fog and low-cloud days, whereas subsiding continental air masses dominate on clear days. Large-scale free-tropospheric moisture transport into southern Africa seems to be a key factor modulating the onshore advection of marine boundary-layer air masses during April, May, and June, as the associated increase in greenhouse gas warming and thus surface heating are observed to contribute to a continental heat low anomaly. A statistical model is trained to discriminate between fog/low-cloud and clear days based on information on large-scale dynamics. The model accurately predicts fog and low-cloud days, illustrating the importance of large-scale pressure modulation and advective processes. It can be concluded that regional fog in the Namib is predominantly of an advective nature and that fog and low-cloud cover is effectively maintained by increased cloud-top radiative cooling. Seasonally different manifestations of synoptic-scale disturbances act to modify its day-to-day variability and the balance of mechanisms leading to its formation and maintenance. The results are the basis for a new conceptual model of the synoptic-scale mechanisms that control fog and low-cloud variability in the Namib Desert and will guide future studies of coastal fog regimes.

Regional Weather Patterns during Anomalous Air–Sea Fluxes at the Kuroshio Extension Observatory (KEO)*

2008 ◽  
Vol 21 (8) ◽  
pp. 1680-1697 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicholas A. Bond ◽  
Meghan F. Cronin
Keyword(s):  
Atmospheric Circulation ◽  
High Frequency ◽  
Kuroshio Extension ◽  
Warm Season ◽  
Cold Season ◽  
Surface Fluxes ◽  
Interannual Variations ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Weather Patterns ◽  
The Kuroshio

Abstract The weather patterns during periods of anomalous surface fluxes in the Kuroshio recirculation gyre of the western North Pacific are documented. Separate analyses are carried out for the cold season (October– March) when the net surface heat flux is controlled by the combination of the turbulent sensible and latent heat fluxes (Qturb), and for the warm season (May–August) when the net heating is dominated by the net radiative fluxes (Qrad). For analysis of high-frequency (daily to weekly) variations in the fluxes, direct measurements from the Kuroshio Extension Observatory (KEO) for the period June 2004–November 2005 are used to specify flux events. For analysis of interannual variations, these events are selected using NCEP–NCAR reanalysis estimates for Qturb in the cold season, and International Comprehensive Ocean–Atmosphere Data Set (ICOADS) data for cloud fraction, as a proxy for Qrad, in the warm season. During the cold season, episodic high-frequency flux events are associated with significant anomalies in the east–west sea level pressure gradients, and hence meridional winds and lower-tropospheric air temperature, reflecting the dominance of the atmospheric forcing of the flux variability. On the other hand, interannual variations in Qturb are associated with relatively weak atmospheric circulation anomalies, implying a relatively important role for the ocean. During the warm season, high-frequency fluctuations in the net surface fluxes occur due to a mix of anomalies in Qturb and Qrad. Enhanced cloudiness in the vicinity of KEO, and hence reduced Qrad, tends to occur in association with weak cyclonic disturbances of extratropical origin. A regional atmospheric circulation favoring these types of events also was found for warm seasons that were cloudier on the whole. Results suggest that the ocean’s influence on air–sea fluxes at KEO is manifested mostly on interannual time scales during the cold season.

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