scholarly journals Introduction to the SPARC Reanalysis Intercomparison Project (S-RIP) and overview of the reanalysis systems

2017 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 1417-1452 ◽  
Author(s):  
Masatomo Fujiwara ◽  
Jonathon S. Wright ◽  
Gloria L. Manney ◽  
Lesley J. Gray ◽  
James Anstey ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Reanalysis Data ◽  
Research Community ◽  
Data Sets ◽  
Special Issue ◽  
Upper Troposphere ◽  
Climate Research ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Underlying Causes ◽  
Intercomparison Project ◽  
Reanalysis Intercomparison

Abstract. The climate research community uses atmospheric reanalysis data sets to understand a wide range of processes and variability in the atmosphere, yet different reanalyses may give very different results for the same diagnostics. The Stratosphere–troposphere Processes And their Role in Climate (SPARC) Reanalysis Intercomparison Project (S-RIP) is a coordinated activity to compare reanalysis data sets using a variety of key diagnostics. The objectives of this project are to identify differences among reanalyses and understand their underlying causes, to provide guidance on appropriate usage of various reanalysis products in scientific studies, particularly those of relevance to SPARC, and to contribute to future improvements in the reanalysis products by establishing collaborative links between reanalysis centres and data users. The project focuses predominantly on differences among reanalyses, although studies that include operational analyses and studies comparing reanalyses with observations are also included when appropriate. The emphasis is on diagnostics of the upper troposphere, stratosphere, and lower mesosphere. This paper summarizes the motivation and goals of the S-RIP activity and extensively reviews key technical aspects of the reanalysis data sets that are the focus of this activity. The special issue The SPARC Reanalysis Intercomparison Project (S-RIP) in this journal serves to collect research with relevance to the S-RIP in preparation for the publication of the planned two (interim and full) S-RIP reports.

scholarly journals Introduction to the SPARC Reanalysis Intercomparison Project (S-RIP) and overview of the reanalysis systems

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Masatomo Fujiwara ◽  
Jonathon S. Wright ◽  
Gloria L. Manney ◽  
Lesley J. Gray ◽  
James Anstey ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Reanalysis Data ◽  
Research Community ◽  
Data Sets ◽  
Special Issue ◽  
Upper Troposphere ◽  
Climate Research ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Underlying Causes ◽  
Intercomparison Project ◽  
Reanalysis Intercomparison

Abstract. The climate research community uses atmospheric reanalysis data sets to understand a wide range of processes and variability in the atmosphere, yet different reanalyses may give very different results for the same diagnostics. The Stratosphere–troposphere Processes And their Role in Climate (SPARC) Reanalysis Intercomparison Project (S-RIP) is a coordinated activity to compare reanalysis data sets using a variety of key diagnostics. The objectives of this project are to identify differences among reanalyses and understand their underlying causes, to provide guidance on appropriate usage of various reanalysis products in scientific studies, particularly those of relevance to SPARC, and to contribute to future improvements in the reanalysis products by establishing collaborative links between reanalysis centres and data users. The project focuses predominantly on differences among reanalyses, although studies that include operational analyses and studies comparing reanalyses with observations are also included when appropriate. The emphasis is on diagnostics of the upper troposphere, stratosphere, and lower mesosphere. This overview paper for the S-RIP special issue summarizes the motivation and goals of the S-RIP activity, and reviews key technical aspects of the reanalysis data sets that are the focus of the S-RIP report.

scholarly journals Climatology and interannual variability of dynamic variables in multiple reanalyses evaluated by the SPARC Reanalysis Intercomparison Project (S-RIP)

2017 ◽  
Vol 17 (23) ◽  
pp. 14593-14629 ◽  
Author(s):  
Craig S. Long ◽  
Masatomo Fujiwara ◽  
Sean Davis ◽  
Daniel M. Mitchell ◽  
Corwin J. Wright
Keyword(s):  
Trend Detection ◽  
Data Sets ◽  
Temperature Structure ◽  
Climate Data ◽  
Quasi Biennial Oscillation ◽  
Temperature Bias ◽  
Independent Observations ◽  
Intercomparison Project ◽  
Reanalysis Intercomparison ◽  
Good Agreement

Abstract. Two of the most basic parameters generated from a reanalysis are temperature and winds. Temperatures in the reanalyses are derived from conventional (surface and balloon), aircraft, and satellite observations. Winds are observed by conventional systems, cloud tracked, and derived from height fields, which are in turn derived from the vertical temperature structure. In this paper we evaluate as part of the SPARC Reanalysis Intercomparison Project (S-RIP) the temperature and wind structure of all the recent and past reanalyses. This evaluation is mainly among the reanalyses themselves, but comparisons against independent observations, such as HIRDLS and COSMIC temperatures, are also presented. This evaluation uses monthly mean and 2.5° zonal mean data sets and spans the satellite era from 1979–2014. There is very good agreement in temperature seasonally and latitudinally among the more recent reanalyses (CFSR, MERRA, ERA-Interim, JRA-55, and MERRA-2) between the surface and 10 hPa. At lower pressures there is increased variance among these reanalyses that changes with season and latitude. This variance also changes during the time span of these reanalyses with greater variance during the TOVS period (1979–1998) and less variance afterward in the ATOVS period (1999–2014). There is a distinct change in the temperature structure in the middle and upper stratosphere during this transition from TOVS to ATOVS systems. Zonal winds are in greater agreement than temperatures and this agreement extends to lower pressures than the temperatures. Older reanalyses (NCEP/NCAR, NCEP/DOE, ERA-40, JRA-25) have larger temperature and zonal wind disagreement from the more recent reanalyses. All reanalyses to date have issues analysing the quasi-biennial oscillation (QBO) winds. Comparisons with Singapore QBO winds show disagreement in the amplitude of the westerly and easterly anomalies. The disagreement with Singapore winds improves with the transition from TOVS to ATOVS observations. Temperature bias characteristics determined via comparisons with a reanalysis ensemble mean (MERRA, ERA-Interim, JRA-55) are similarly observed when compared with Aura HIRDLS and Aura MLS observations. There is good agreement among the NOAA TLS, SSU1, and SSU2 Climate Data Records and layer mean temperatures from the more recent reanalyses. Caution is advised for using reanalysis temperatures for trend detection and anomalies from a long climatology period as the quality and character of reanalyses may have changed over time.

scholarly journals Global temperature response to the major volcanic eruptions in multiple reanalysis data sets

2015 ◽  
Vol 15 (23) ◽  
pp. 13507-13518 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Fujiwara ◽  
T. Hibino ◽  
S. K. Mehta ◽  
L. Gray ◽  
D. Mitchell ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Lower Stratosphere ◽  
Temperature Response ◽  
Reanalysis Data ◽  
Global Temperature ◽  
Data Sets ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Mount Pinatubo ◽  
Upper Troposphere ◽  
El Chichón ◽  
Pinatubo Eruption

Abstract. The global temperature responses to the eruptions of Mount Agung in 1963, El Chichón in 1982, and Mount Pinatubo in 1991 are investigated using nine currently available reanalysis data sets (JRA-55, MERRA, ERA-Interim, NCEP-CFSR, JRA-25, ERA-40, NCEP-1, NCEP-2, and 20CR). Multiple linear regression is applied to the zonal and monthly mean time series of temperature for two periods, 1979–2009 (for eight reanalysis data sets) and 1958–2001 (for four reanalysis data sets), by considering explanatory factors of seasonal harmonics, linear trends, Quasi-Biennial Oscillation, solar cycle, and El Niño Southern Oscillation. The residuals are used to define the volcanic signals for the three eruptions separately, and common and different responses among the older and newer reanalysis data sets are highlighted for each eruption. In response to the Mount Pinatubo eruption, most reanalysis data sets show strong warming signals (up to 2–3 K for 1-year average) in the tropical lower stratosphere and weak cooling signals (down to −1 K) in the subtropical upper troposphere. For the El Chichón eruption, warming signals in the tropical lower stratosphere are somewhat smaller than those for the Mount Pinatubo eruption. The response to the Mount Agung eruption is asymmetric about the equator with strong warming in the Southern Hemisphere midlatitude upper troposphere to lower stratosphere. Comparison of the results from several different reanalysis data sets confirms the atmospheric temperature response to these major eruptions qualitatively, but also shows quantitative differences even among the most recent reanalysis data sets. The consistencies and differences among different reanalysis data sets provide a measure of the confidence and uncertainty in our current understanding of the volcanic response. The results of this intercomparison study may be useful for validation of climate model responses to volcanic forcing and for assessing proposed geoengineering by stratospheric aerosol injection, as well as to link studies using only a single reanalysis data set to other studies using a different reanalysis data set.

scholarly journals Zonal-mean data set of global atmospheric reanalyses on pressure levels

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrick Martineau ◽  
Jonathon S. Wright ◽  
Nuanliang Zhu ◽  
Masatomo Fujiwara
Keyword(s):  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Short Wave ◽  
Reanalysis Data ◽  
Environmental Data ◽  
Data Sets ◽  
Heating Rates ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Intercomparison Project ◽  
Complete Set ◽  
Transformed Eulerian Mean

Abstract. This data set, which is prepared for the SPARC-Reanalysis Intercomparison Project (S-RIP), provides several zonal-mean diagnostics computed from reanalysis data on pressure levels. Diagnostics are currently provided for a variety of reanalyses, including ERA-40, ERA-Interim, ERA-20C, NCEP-NCAR, NCEP-DOE, CFSR, 20CR v2 and v2c, JRA-25, JRA-55, JRA-55C, JRA-55AMIP, MERRA, and MERRA-2. The data set will be expanded to include additional reanalyses as they become available. Basic dynamical variables (such as temperature, geopotential height and three-dimensional winds) are provided in addition to a complete set of terms from the Eulerian-mean and transformed Eulerian-mean momentum equations. Total diabatic heating and its long-wave and short-wave components are included as availability permits, along with heating rates diagnosed from the basic dynamical variables using the zonal-mean thermodynamic equation. Two versions of the data set are provided, one that uses horizontal and vertical grids provided by the various reanalysis centers, and another that uses a common grid to facilitate comparison among data sets. For the common grid, all diagnostics are interpolated horizontally onto a regular 2.5° ×2.5° grid for a subset of pressure levels that are common amongst all included reanalyses. The dynamical (Martineau, 2017, http://dx.doi.org/10.5285/b241a7f536a244749662360bd7839312) and diabatic (Wright, 2017, http://dx.doi.org/10.5285/70146c789eda4296a3c3ab6706931d56) variables are archived and maintained by the Centre for Environmental Data Analysis (CEDA).

scholarly journals Variability of temperature and ozone in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere from multi-satellite observations and reanalysis data

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ming Shangguan ◽  
Wuke Wang ◽  
Shuanggen Jin
Keyword(s):  
Lower Stratosphere ◽  
Reanalysis Data ◽  
Data Sets ◽  
Upper Troposphere ◽  
Regression Methods ◽  
Stratospheric Temperature ◽  
High Vertical Resolution ◽  
Recent Trends ◽  
The Tropics ◽  
Temperature Time

Abstract. Temperature and ozone changes in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere (UTLS) are important components and sensitive indicators of climate change. In this paper, variability and trends of temperature and ozone in the UTLS were investigated for the period 2002–2017 using the high quality, high vertical resolution GPS RO data, improved merged satellite data sets (SWOOSH and C3S) and reanalysis data sets (including the newest ERA5, MERRA2 and ERA-Interim). All three reanalyses show good agreement with the GPS RO measurements in absolute values, annual cycle as well as interannual variabilities of temperature. However, relatively large biases exist for the period 2002–2006, which reveals an evident discontinuity of temperature time series in reanalyses. Based on the multiple linear regression methods, a significant warming of 0.2–0.3 K/decade is found in most areas of the troposphere with stronger increase of 0.4–0.5 K/decade in mid-latitudes of both hemispheres. In contrast, the stratospheric temperature decreases at a rate of 0.1–0.3 K/decade except that in the lower most stratosphere (100–50 hPa) in the tropics and parts of mid-latitude in the Northern Hemisphere (NH). ERA5 shows improved quality compared with ERA-Interim and performs the best agreement with the GPS RO data for the recent trends of temperature. Similar with temperature, reanalyses ozone are also affected by the change of assimilated observations and methods. Negative trends of ozone are found in NH at 150–100 hPa while positive trends are evident in the tropical lower stratosphere. Asymmetric trends of ozone can be found for both hemispheres in the middle stratosphere, with significant ozone decrease in NH mid-latitudes and increase of ozone in the Southern Hemisphere (SH) mid-latitudes. According to model simulations, the temperature increase in the troposphere as well as ozone decrease in the NH stratosphere could be mainly connected to the increase of Sea Surface Temperature (SST) and subsequent changes of atmospheric circulations.

scholarly journals Variability of temperature and ozone in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere from multi-satellite observations and reanalysis data

2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (10) ◽  
pp. 6659-6679 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ming Shangguan ◽  
Wuke Wang ◽  
Shuanggen Jin
Keyword(s):  
Lower Stratosphere ◽  
Climate Model ◽  
Southern Oscillation ◽  
Satellite System ◽  
Reanalysis Data ◽  
Data Sets ◽  
Positive Temperature ◽  
Quasi Biennial Oscillation ◽  
Model Simulations ◽  
Upper Troposphere

Abstract. Temperature and ozone changes in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere (UTLS) are important components of climate change. In this paper, variability and trends of temperature and ozone in the UTLS are investigated for the period 2002–2017 using high-quality, high vertical resolution Global Navigation Satellite System radio occultation (GNSS RO) data and improved merged satellite data sets. As part of the Stratosphere-troposphere Processes And their Role in Climate (SPARC) Reanalysis Intercomparison Project (S-RIP), three reanalysis data sets, including the ERA-I, MERRA2 and the recently released ERA5, are evaluated for their representation of temperature and ozone in the UTLS. The recent temperature and ozone trends are updated with a multiple linear regression (MLR) method and related to sea surface temperature (SST) changes based on model simulations made with NCAR's Whole Atmosphere Community Climate Model (WACCM). All reanalysis temperatures show good agreement with the GNSS RO measurements in both absolute value and annual cycle. Interannual variations in temperature related to Quasi-Biennial Oscillation (QBO) and the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) processes are well represented by all reanalyses. However, evident biases can be seen in reanalyses for the linear trends of temperature since they are affected by discontinuities in assimilated observations and methods. Such biases can be corrected and the estimated trends can be significantly improved. ERA5 is significantly improved compared to ERA-I and shows the best agreement with the GNSS RO temperature. The MLR results indicate a significant warming of 0.2–0.3 K per decade in most areas of the troposphere, with a stronger increase of 0.4–0.5 K per decade at midlatitudes of both hemispheres. In contrast, the stratospheric temperature decreases at a rate of 0.1–0.3 K per decade, which is most significant in the Southern Hemisphere (SH). Positive temperature trends of 0.1–0.3 K per decade are seen in the tropical lower stratosphere (100–50 hPa). Negative trends of ozone are found in the Northern Hemisphere (NH) at 150–50 hPa, while positive trends are evident in the tropical lower stratosphere. Asymmetric trends of ozone can be found in the midlatitudes of two hemispheres in the middle stratosphere, with significant ozone decrease in the NH and increase in ozone in the SH. Large biases exist in reanalyses, and it is still challenging to do trend analysis based on reanalysis ozone data. According to single-factor-controlled model simulations with WACCM, the temperature increase in the troposphere and the ozone decrease in the NH stratosphere are mainly connected to the increase in SST and subsequent changes of atmospheric circulations. Both the increase in SSTs and the decrease in ozone in the NH contribute to the temperature decrease in the NH stratosphere. The increase in temperature in the lower stratospheric tropics may be related to an increase in ozone in that region, while warming SSTs contribute to a cooling in that area.

scholarly journals Climatology and Interannual Variability of Dynamic Variables in Multiple Reanalyses Evaluated by the SPARC Reanalysis Intercomparison Project (S-RIP)

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Craig S. Long ◽  
Masatomo Fujiwara ◽  
Sean Davis ◽  
Daniel M. Mitchell ◽  
Corwin J. Wright
Keyword(s):  
Trend Detection ◽  
Data Sets ◽  
Temperature Structure ◽  
Climate Data ◽  
Quasi Biennial Oscillation ◽  
Temperature Bias ◽  
Independent Observations ◽  
Intercomparison Project ◽  
Reanalysis Intercomparison ◽  
Good Agreement

Abstract. Abstract. Two of the most basic parameters generated from a reanalysis are temperature and winds. Temperatures in the reanalyses are derived from conventional (surface and balloon), aircraft, and satellite observations. Winds are both observed by conventional systems, cloud tracked, and derived from height fields which in turn are derived from the vertical temperature structure. In this paper we evaluate as part of the SPARC-Reanalysis Intercomparison Project (S-RIP) the temperature and wind structure of all the recent and past reanalyses. This evaluation is mainly between the reanalyses themselves, but comparisons against independent observations such as HIRDLS temperatures are also presented. This evaluation uses monthly mean and 2.5 degree zonal mean data sets and spans the satellite era from 1979–2014. There is very good agreement in temperature seasonally and latitudinally between the more recent reanalyses (CFSR, MERRA, ERA-Interim, JRA-55, and MERRA-2) between the surface and 10 hPa. At lower pressures there is increased variance between these reanalyses that changes with season and latitude. This variance also changes during the time span of these reanalyses with greater variance during the TOVS period (1979–1998) and less variance afterward in the ATOVS period (1999–2014). There is a distinct change in the temperature structure in the middle and upper stratosphere during this transition from TOVS to ATOVS systems. Zonal winds are in greater agreement than temperatures and this agreement extends to lower pressures than the temperatures. Older reanalyses (NCEP/NCAR, NCEP/DOE, ERA-40, JRA-25) have larger temperature and zonal wind disagreement from the more recent reanalyses. All reanalyses to date have issues analysing the Quasi-Biennial Oscillation (QBO) winds. Comparisons with Singapore QBO winds show disagreement in the amplitude of the westerly and easterly anomalies. The disagreement with Singapore winds improves with the transition from TOVS to ATOVS observations. Temperature bias characteristics determined via comparisons with a Reanalysis Ensemble Mean (MERRA, ERA-Interim, JRA-55) are similarly observed when compared with Aura/HIRDLS and Aura/MLS observations. There is good agreement between NOAA's TLS, SSU1 and SSU2 Climate Data Records and layer mean temperatures from the more recent reanalyses. Caution is advised for using reanalysis temperatures for trend detection.

scholarly journals Focus on Translational Research

2014 ◽  
Vol 27 (3) ◽  
pp. 195-195
Author(s):  
John M. McDowell ◽  
John Carr ◽  
Matteo Lorito
Keyword(s):  
Translational Research ◽  
Research Community ◽  
Special Issue ◽  
Fundamental Knowledge ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Fundamental Understanding ◽  
Microbe Interactions ◽  
Mechanistic Understanding

Readers of this journal are well aware how far our field has progressed towards mechanistic understanding of pathogenesis and immunity. Almost concurrently, this new fundamental knowledge is being translated into new tools for reducing disease losses in crops. This is obviously exciting for our research community and our varied stakeholders. Thus, the MPMI editorial board decided that the time is right for a special issue devoted to the topic of Translational Research. This issue comprises reviews, invited by the editors, and primary reports submitted in response to an open call. We are gratified to introduce articles that collectively encompass a wide range of applications and clearly illustrate the practical value of fundamental understanding of molecular plant-microbe interactions. Click on Next Article or Table of Contents above to view the articles in this Focus Issue. (From the mobile site, go to the MPMI March 2014 issue.)

scholarly journals Zonal-mean data set of global atmospheric reanalyses on pressure levels

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 1925-1941 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrick Martineau ◽  
Jonathon S. Wright ◽  
Nuanliang Zhu ◽  
Masatomo Fujiwara
Keyword(s):  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Reanalysis Data ◽  
Environmental Data ◽  
Data Sets ◽  
Heating Rates ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Intercomparison Project ◽  
Complete Set ◽  
The Common ◽  
Transformed Eulerian Mean

Abstract. This data set, which is prepared for the Stratosphere–troposphere Processes And their Role in Climate (SPARC) Reanalysis Intercomparison Project (S-RIP), provides several zonal-mean diagnostics computed from reanalysis data on pressure levels. Diagnostics are currently provided for a variety of reanalyses, including ERA-40, ERA-Interim, ERA-20C, NCEP–NCAR, NCEP–DOE, CFSR, 20CR v2 and v2c, JRA-25, JRA-55, JRA-55C, JRA-55AMIP, MERRA, and MERRA-2. The data set will be expanded to include additional reanalyses as they become available. Basic dynamical variables (such as temperature, geopotential height, and three-dimensional winds) are provided in addition to a complete set of terms from the Eulerian-mean and transformed-Eulerian-mean momentum equations. Total diabatic heating and its long-wave and shortwave components are included as availability permits, along with heating rates diagnosed from the basic dynamical variables using the zonal-mean thermodynamic equation. Two versions of the data set are provided, one that uses horizontal and vertical grids provided by the various reanalysis centers and another that uses a common grid (CG) to facilitate comparison among data sets. For the common grid, all diagnostics are interpolated horizontally onto a regular 2.5∘×2.5∘ grid for a subset of pressure levels that are common among all included reanalyses. The dynamical (Martineau, 2017, https://doi.org/10.5285/b241a7f536a244749662360bd7839312) and diabatic (Wright, 2017, https://doi.org/10.5285/70146c789eda4296a3c3ab6706931d56) variables are archived and maintained by the Centre for Environmental Data Analysis (CEDA).

scholarly journals What If the ‘Anthropocene’ Is Not Formalized as a New Geological Series/Epoch?

Quaternary ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 1 (3) ◽  
pp. 24 ◽  
Author(s):  
Valentí Rull
Keyword(s):  
Present State ◽  
Executive Committee ◽  
Working Group ◽  
Recent Literature ◽  
Special Issue ◽  
Environmental Sciences ◽  
International Union ◽  
Quaternary Stratigraphy ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Geological Sciences

In the coming years, the Anthropocene Working Group (AWG) will submit its proposal on the ‘Anthropocene’ to the Subcommission of Quaternary Stratigraphy (SQS) and the International Commission on Stratigraphy (ICS) for approval. If approved, the proposal will be sent to the Executive Committee of the International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS) for ratification. If the proposal is approved and ratified, then the ‘Anthropocene’ will be formalized. Currently, the ‘Anthropocene’ is a broadly used term and concept in a wide range of scientific and non-scientific situations, and, for many, the official acceptance of this term is only a matter of time. However, the AWG proposal, in its present state, seems to not fully meet the requirements for a new chronostratigraphic unit. This essay asks what could happen if the current ‘Anthropocene’ proposal is not formalized by the ICS/IUGS. The possible stratigraphic alternatives are evaluated on the basis of the more recent literature and the personal opinions of distinguished AWG, SQS, and ICS members. The eventual impact on environmental sciences and on non-scientific sectors, where the ‘Anthropocene’ seems already firmly rooted and de facto accepted as a new geological epoch, are also discussed. This essay is intended as the editorial introduction to a Quaternary special issue on the topic.

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