Monthly Average Sea–Surface Temperatures and Ice–Pack Limits on a 1° Global Grid

Alexander, Richard; Mobley, R. L.

doi:10.1175/1520-0493(1976)104<0143:mastai>2.0.co;2

Cited by 168 publications

(46 citation statements)

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“…The analysis of the sea surface temperature (SST) is provided by the ECMWF. It combines the daily SST from the National Meteorological Center (NMC) in Washington (Reynolds, 1988) with a monthly climatology of surface temperatures for the polar areas (Alexander and Mobley, 1974).…”

Section: Model Description and Setupsupporting

confidence: 91%

The Interannual Variability as a Test Ground for Regional Climate Simulations over Japan

Fukutome

Frei

Lüthi

et al. 1999

Journal of the Meteorological Society of Japan

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The validation of regional climate models is usually based on the intercomparison of the model's mean climate with the observed climatology. Albeit a prerequisite for the use of the model in a predictive mode, a successful validation of this type does not strictly test the model's ability to simulate anomalous conditions as might be associated with anthropogenic climate change. Here, we explore an alternate strategy, whereby the model's ability to reproduce the observed interannual variability is tested. The model utilized is an operational numerical weather prediction model of the German Weather Service, and it is tested for its use over East Asia and Japan in a series of 5 month-long January simulations. The model is used in a domain of 5100x5100km2, has a horizontal resolution of 56km, and 20 levels in the vertical. It is driven at its boundaries by the European Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecast (ECMWF) analysis.In validating the integrations, particular emphasis is put on the precipitation fields. For validation we use three different observational data sets: a terrestrial analysis from rain gauges, including the Automated Meteorological Data Acquisition System (AMeDAS) data of the Japan Meteorological Agency, the gridded data set of the Global Precipitation Climatology Project (GPCP), which over sea is largely based upon satellite information, and the ECMWF Re-Analysis (ERA) data set, which is produced by a model in an assimilation mode.It is demonstrated that the synoptic-scale evolution of individual low-pressure systems within the modeling domain is deterministically controlled by the lateral boundary conditions. Precipitation -spatially averaged over selected subdomains -compares remarkably well with the observations, both in terms of the monthly amounts and of the temporal evolution throughout the integration period. Using the strategy of a previous study, we analyze the year-to-year variations of the model results, both for the dynamical and precipitation fields. It is found that the modeling error is substantially smaller than the typical year-to-year fluctuations of the interannual variability. Implications of this result, concerning the model's use as a tool for down-scaling climate change, are also discussed.

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Section: Model Description and Setupsupporting

confidence: 91%

The Interannual Variability as a Test Ground for Regional Climate Simulations over Japan

Fukutome

Frei

Lüthi

et al. 1999

Journal of the Meteorological Society of Japan

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“…This is essential for paleoclimate simulations because it allows the surface temperature to respond fully to forcing rather than being tied to some current climatology on long timescales. The model sea surface temperatures are prescribed and are the same in both PD and 6k runs, a reasonable assumption for the mid-Holocene, and are based on the data set of Alexander and Mobley (1976).…”

Section: The Model and Boundary Conditionsmentioning

confidence: 62%

A GCM Simulation of the Climate 6000 Years Ago

Hall¹,

Valdes

1997

J. Climate

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Two 10-yr integrations of the UGAMP GCM are presented. Each has a full seasonal cycle, T42 resolution, interactive land and sea ice, and prescribed sea surface temperatures. They differ in that one integration represents present day climate (PD) and the other has a perturbed orbit and reduced atmospheric concentrations of CO 2 appropriate to the climate of 6000 years ago (6 kyr, hereafter 6k). The 6k integration produces enhanced continental warmth during summer and cold during winter. Changes in atmospheric temperature gradients brought about by the surface response lead to altered jet stream structures and transient eddy activity, which in turn affect precipitation patterns. Tropical ''monsoon''-type circulation patterns are also affected, also leading to altered precipitation. Many of the changes in hydrology mimic the geological record remarkably well: the Sahel is much wetter, as are the midwestern United States and the Mediterranean regions; California and northern Europe are drier. Processes leading to the model's surface responses in both temperature and hydrology are described in detail. Finally, the sensitivity of the results to an alternative, objective definition of the 6k calendar is investigated. This sensitivity is found to be smaller than the overall signal to the extent that the principal conclusions are not altered.

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“…Hence, it is necessary to use a surface temperature (ST) climatological dataset over the lakes or inland seas not analysed. The climatological dataset used is the Alexander & Mobley (1974) monthly SST climate with an orographical correction for the lakes not at sea level.…”

Section: Surface Temperature Fieldsmentioning

confidence: 99%