The impact of resolution on the representation of southeast Greenland barrier winds and katabatic flows

Abstract

Southern Greenland is characterized by a number of low‐level high wind speed weather systems that are the result of topographic flow distortion. These systems include barrier winds and katabatic flow that occur along its southeast coast. Global atmospheric reanalyses have proven to be important tools in furthering our understanding of these orographic winds and their role in the climate system. However, there is evidence that the mesoscale characteristics of these systems may be missed in these global products. Here we show that the Arctic System Reanalysis, a higher‐resolution regional reanalysis, is able to capture mesoscale features of barrier winds and katabatic flow that are missed or underrepresented in ERA‐I, a leading modern global reanalysis. This suggests that our understanding of the impact of these wind systems on the coupled‐climate system can be enhanced through the use of higher‐resolution regional reanalyses or model data.

Circulation in the northwest Laptev Sea in the eastern Arctic Ocean: Crossroads between Siberian River water, Atlantic water and polynya‐formed dense water

“…This occurred on scales too small to be resolved by global reanalysis products, which implies that coarsely resolved models underestimate ocean circulation and heat fluxes during storm events and hence underlines the need for high‐resolution studies in dynamic areas such as the northwest Laptev Sea. Similar conclusions were reached for other high‐latitude regions, such as around Greenland [ Moore et al ., ] and Novaya Zemlya [ Moore , ].…”

Higher Ocean Wind Speeds During Marine Cold Air Outbreaks

“…The evidence of underestimation of wind speeds during MCAOs in reanalysis products abounds. Substantial improvements in the representation wind speeds have been shown for the first version (Δ = 30 km) of the Arctic System Reanalysis (ASRv1 henceforth; Bromwich et al, 2016) for several small-scale features, including southeast Greenland barrier winds and katabatic flows (Moore et al, 2015). Even better results have been demonstrated for the second version of the Arctic System Reanalysis (ASRv2), for which Δ = 15 km, in a study of topographically forced winds near Greenland , tip jets included.…”

Timber Logging in Central Siberia is the Main Source for Recent Arctic Driftwood

“…Such cycles have been predicted on the basis of models of internal ice sheet variability (Bugelmayer-Blaschek et al, 2016), but also could be associated with periods of enhanced melting of drift ice in Denmark Strait at the marine polar front or surges in icebergs released to Denmark Strait from siqussaq break-up in the fjords (Straneo and Heimbach, 2013;Moore and Renfrew, 2014).…”

“…Strong katabatic winds off the ice sheet may break up the siqussaq and release the icebergs from the fjords into the EGC (Straneo and Heimbach, 2013;Moore and Renfrew, 2014). The offshore sea ice covers the site of 2322 for 6.5 to 8.5 months per yr (Jennings et al, 2011).…”