scholarly journals Comparative Analysis of the Western Arctic Surface Climate among Observations and Model Simulations

2007 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 1-24 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wanli Wu ◽  
Amanda H. Lynch ◽  
Sheldon Drobot ◽  
James Maslanik ◽  
A. David McGuire ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Interannual Variability ◽  
Sea Level ◽  
Spatial Patterns ◽  
Sea Level Pressure ◽  
Level Pressure ◽  
Surface Climate ◽  
Western Arctic ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Global Reanalysis ◽  
Mean State

Abstract Accurate estimates of the spatial and temporal variation in terrestrial water and energy fluxes and mean states are important for simulating regional hydrology and biogeochemistry in high-latitude regions. Furthermore, it is necessary to develop high-resolution hydroclimatological datasets at finer spatial resolutions than are currently available from global analyses. This study uses a regional climate model (RCM) to develop a hydroclimatological dataset for hydrologic and ecological application in the Western Arctic. The fifth-generation Penn State–NCAR Mesoscale Model (MM5) forced by global reanalysis products at the boundaries is used to perform 12 yr of simulation (1990 through 2001) over the Western Arctic. An analysis that compares the RCM simulations with independent observationally derived data sources is conducted to evaluate the temporal and spatial distribution of the mean states, variability, and trends during the period of simulation. The RCM simulation of sea level pressure agrees well with the reanalysis in terms of mean states, seasonality, and interannual variability. The RCM also simulates major spatial patterns of the observed climatology of surface air temperature (SAT), but RCM SAT is generally colder in the summertime and warmer in the wintertime in comparison with other datasets. Although there are biases in the mean state of SAT, the RCM simulations of the seasonal and interannual variability of SAT are similar to variability in observationally derived datasets. The RCM also simulates general spatial patterns of observed rainfall, but the modeled mean state of precipitation is characterized by large biases relative to observationally derived datasets. In particular, the RCM tends to overestimate coastal region precipitation but underestimates precipitation in the interior of the Western Arctic. The Arctic terrestrial surface climate trends for the period of 1992 to 2001 of the RCM are similar to those derived from observations, with sea level pressure decreasing 0.15 hPa decade−1, SAT increasing 0.10°C decade−1, and precipitation decreasing slightly in the RCM simulations. In summary, the RCM dataset produced in this study represents an improvement over data currently available from large-scale global reanalysis and provides a consistent meteorological forcing dataset for hydrologic and ecological applications.

scholarly journals Simulation and Interpretation of the Genesis of Tropical Storm Gert (2005) as Part of the NASA Tropical Cloud Systems and Processes Experiment

2010 ◽  
Vol 67 (4) ◽  
pp. 999-1025 ◽  
Author(s):  
Scott A. Braun ◽  
Michael T. Montgomery ◽  
Kevin J. Mallen ◽  
Paul D. Reasor
Keyword(s):  
Sea Level ◽  
Tropical Storm ◽  
Sea Level Pressure ◽  
Cloud Systems ◽  
Low Level ◽  
Level Pressure ◽  
Stratiform Region ◽  
Stratiform Precipitation ◽  
Precipitation Processes ◽  
The Mean

Abstract Several hypotheses have been put forward for the mechanisms of generation of surface circulation associated with tropical cyclones. This paper examines high-resolution simulations of Tropical Storm Gert (2005), which formed in the Gulf of Mexico during NASA’s Tropical Cloud Systems and Processes Experiment, to investigate the development of low-level circulation and its relationship to the precipitation evolution. Two simulations are examined: one that better matches available observations but underpredicts the storm’s minimum sea level pressure and a second one that somewhat overintensifies the storm but provides a set of simulations that encapsulates the overall genesis and development characteristics of the observed storm. The roles of convective and stratiform precipitation processes within the mesoscale precipitation systems that formed Gert are discussed. During 21–25 July, two episodes of convective system development occurred. In each, precipitation system evolution was characterized by intense and deep convective upward motions followed by increasing stratiform-type vertical motions (upper-level ascent, low-level descent). Potential vorticity (PV) in convective regions was strongest at low levels while stratiform-region PV was strongest at midlevels, suggesting that convective processes acted to spin up lower levels prior to the spinup of middle levels by stratiform processes. Intense vortical hot towers (VHTs) were prominent features of the low-level cyclonic vorticity field. The most prominent PV anomalies persisted more than 6 h and were often associated with localized minima in the sea level pressure field. A gradual aggregation of the cyclonic PV occurred as existing VHTs near the center continually merged with new VHTs, gradually increasing the mean vorticity near the center. Nearly concurrently with this VHT-induced development, stratiform precipitation processes strongly enhanced the mean inflow and convergence at middle levels, rapidly increasing the midlevel vorticity. However, the stratiform vertical motion profile is such that while it increases midlevel vorticity, it decreases vorticity near the surface as a result of low-level divergence. Consequently, the results suggest that while stratiform precipitation regions may significantly increase cyclonic circulation at midlevels, convective vortex enhancement at low to midlevels is likely necessary for genesis.

Outflow of Arctic Ocean Sea Ice into the Greenland and Barents Seas: 1979–2007

2009 ◽  
Vol 22 (9) ◽  
pp. 2438-2457 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Kwok
Keyword(s):  
Sea Ice ◽  
Sea Level ◽  
Arctic Sea Ice ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Positive Trend ◽  
Fram Strait ◽  
Sea Level Pressure ◽  
Level Pressure ◽  
Franz Josef Land ◽  
The Mean

Abstract Twenty-nine years of Arctic sea ice outflow into the Greenland and Barents Seas are summarized. Outflow is computed at three passages: Fram Strait, between Svalbard and Franz Josef Land (S–FJL), and between Franz Josef Land and Severnaya Zemlya (FJL–SZ). Ice drift at the flux gates has been reprocessed using a consistent and updated time series of passive microwave brightness temperature and ice concentration (IC) fields. Over the record, the mean annual area outflow at the Fram Strait is 706(113) × 103 km2; it was highest in 1994/95 (1002 × 103 km2) when the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) index was near its 29-yr peak. The strength of the “Transpolar Drift Stream” (TDS) was high during the late 1980s through the mid-1990s. There is no statistically significant trend in the Fram Strait area flux. Even though there is a positive trend in the gradient of cross-strait sea level pressure, the outflow has not increased because of a negative trend in IC. Seasonally, the area outflow during recent summers (in 2005 and 2007) has been higher (> 2σ from the mean) than average, contributing to the decline of summer ice coverage. Without updated ice thickness estimates, the best estimate of mean annual volume flux (between 1991 and 1999) stands at ∼2200 km3 yr−1 (∼0.07 Sv: Sv ≡ 106 m3 s−1). Net annual outflow at the S–FJL passage is 37(39) × 103 km2; the large outflow of multiyear ice in 2002–03, marked by an area and volume outflow of 141 × 103 km2 and ∼300 km3, was unusual over the record. At the FJL–SZ passage, there is a mean annual inflow of 103(93) × 103 km2 of seasonal ice into the Arctic. While the recent pattern of winter Arctic circulation and sea level pressure (SLP) has nearly reverted to its conditions typical of the 1980s, the summer has not. Compared to the 1980s, the recent summer SLP distributions show much lower SLPs (2–3 hPa) over much of the Arctic. Overall, there is a strengthening of the summer TDS. Examination of the exchanges between the Pacific and Atlantic sectors shows a long-term trend that favors the summer advection of sea ice toward the Atlantic associated with a shift in the mean summer circulation patterns.

scholarly journals Reconstruction of Summer Sea Level Pressure over East Asia since 1470

2012 ◽  
Vol 25 (16) ◽  
pp. 5600-5611 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fengying Wei ◽  
Lei Hu ◽  
Guanjun Chen ◽  
Qian Li ◽  
Yu Xie
Keyword(s):  
East Asia ◽  
Interannual Variability ◽  
Sea Level ◽  
Asian Summer Monsoon ◽  
Eastern China ◽  
Power Spectra ◽  
Sea Level Pressure ◽  
Level Pressure ◽  
Monsoon Index ◽  
Precipitation Indices

Abstract A close relationship between sea level pressure (SLP) over East Asia and precipitation indices (PIs) in eastern China was observed in the summers (June–August) of 1850–2008 using singular value decomposition (SVD) analysis. To investigate this relationship over a longer period, the SLP fields were reconstructed back to 1470 based on a mathematical model and the historical precipitation indices of eastern China. A cross-validation test of independent samples suggests that the reconstructed SLPs are statistically acceptable. According to the first three predominant SVD modes of the SLP field, three SLP index series (SLPI1–SLPI3) were developed to quantify the thermodynamic differences among the critical SLP centers of East Asia. Both SLPI1 and SLPI2 are highly correlated with the East Asian summer monsoon index, whereas SLPI3 is related to the index of Eurasian meridional atmospheric circulation. The temporal scales of SLP indices were examined during 1470–2008 using the wavelet power spectra. Results indicate that there is significant variance at a 2–5-yr band in the power spectra of the three SLP indices, suggesting SLPI1–SLPI3 have evident interannual variability. Moreover, the wavelet power spectra of SLPI1 and SLPI2 show significantly higher power at the 8–12-yr scale from 1470 to 1750 and at the 60–90-yr scale after 1750. For SLPI3, besides the interannual variability, it has additional periodical variability of 6–11 and 23–33 yr.

scholarly journals Changes in atmospheric variability in a glacial climate and the impacts on proxy data: a model intercomparison

2009 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 489-502 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. S. R. Pausata ◽  
C. Li ◽  
J. J. Wettstein ◽  
K. H. Nisancioglu ◽  
D. S. Battisti
Keyword(s):  
Sea Level ◽  
North Atlantic ◽  
Climate Models ◽  
Atmospheric Variability ◽  
Sea Level Pressure ◽  
Level Pressure ◽  
The North ◽  
Surface Climate ◽  
Leading Mode ◽  
The North Atlantic Oscillation

Abstract. Using four different climate models, we investigate sea level pressure variability in the extratropical North Atlantic in the preindustrial climate (1750 AD) and at the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM, 21 kyrs before present) in order to understand how changes in atmospheric circulation can affect signals recorded in climate proxies. In general, the models exhibit a significant reduction in interannual variance of sea level pressure at the LGM compared to pre-industrial simulations and this reduction is concentrated in winter. For the preindustrial climate, all models feature a similar leading mode of sea level pressure variability that resembles the leading mode of variability in the instrumental record: the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO). In contrast, the leading mode of sea level pressure variability at the LGM is model dependent, but in each model different from that in the preindustrial climate. In each model, the leading (NAO-like) mode of variability explains a smaller fraction of the variance and also less absolute variance at the LGM than in the preindustrial climate. The models show that the relationship between atmospheric variability and surface climate (temperature and precipitation) variability change in different climates. Results are model-specific, but indicate that proxy signals at the LGM may be misinterpreted if changes in the spatial pattern and seasonality of surface climate variability are not taken into account.

scholarly journals The storm tracks and the energy cycle of the Southern Hemisphere: sensitivity to sea-ice boundary conditions

1999 ◽  
Vol 17 (11) ◽  
pp. 1478-1492 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. G. Menéndez ◽  
V. Serafini ◽  
H. Le Treut
Keyword(s):  
Kinetic Energy ◽  
Potential Energy ◽  
Southern Ocean ◽  
Sea Ice ◽  
Sea Level ◽  
Zonal Flow ◽  
Sea Level Pressure ◽  
Level Pressure ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Ice Edge

Abstract. The effect of sea-ice on various aspects of the Southern Hemisphere (SH) extratropical climate is examined. Two simulations using the LMD GCM are performed: a control run with the observed sea-ice distribution and an anomaly run in which all SH sea-ice is replaced by open ocean. When sea-ice is removed, the mean sea level pressure displays anomalies predominantly negatives near the Antarctic coast. In general, the meridional temperature gradient is reduced over most of the Southern Ocean, the polar jet is weaker and the sea level pressure rises equatorward of the control ice edge. The high frequency filtered standard deviation of both the sea level pressure and the 300-hPa geopotential height decreases over the southern Pacific and southwestern Atlantic oceans, especially to the north of the ice edge (as prescribed in the control). In contrast, over the Indian Ocean the perturbed simulation exhibits less variability equatorward of about 50°S and increased variability to the south. The zonal averages of the zonal and eddy potential and kinetic energies were evaluated. The effect of removing sea-ice is to diminish the available potential energy of the mean zonal flow, the available potential energy of the perturbations, the kinetic energy of the growing disturbances and the kinetic energy of the mean zonal flow over most of the Southern Ocean. The zonally averaged intensity of the subpolar trough and the rate of the baroclinic energy conversions are also weaker.Key words. Air-sea interactions · Meteorology and atmospheric dynamics (climatology; ocean · atmosphere interactions)

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