Albedo enhancement over land to counteract global warming: impacts on hydrological cycle

A recent modelling study has shown that precipitation and runoff over land would increase when the reflectivity of marine clouds is increased to counter global warming. This implies that large scale albedo enhancement over land could lead to a decrease in runoff over land. In this study, we perform simulations using NCAR CAM3.1 that have implications for Solar Radiation Management geoengineering schemes that increase the albedo over land. We find that an increase in reflectivity over land that mitigates the global mean warming from a doubling of CO₂ leads to a large residual warming in the southern hemisphere and cooling in the northern hemisphere since most of the land is located in northern hemisphere. Precipitation and runoff over land decrease by 13.4 and 22.3%, respectively, because of a large residual sinking motion over land triggered by albedo enhancement over land. Soil water content also declines when albedo over land is enhanced. The simulated magnitude of hydrological changes over land are much larger when compared to changes over oceans in the recent marine cloud albedo enhancement study since the radiative forcing over land needed (?8.2?W?m^?2) to counter global mean radiative forcing from a doubling of CO₂ (3.3?W?m^?2) is approximately twice the forcing needed over the oceans (?4.2?W?m^?2). Our results imply that albedo enhancement over oceans produce climates closer to the unperturbed climate state than do albedo changes on land when the consequences on land hydrology are considered. Our study also has important implications for any intentional or unintentional large scale changes in land surface albedo such as deforestation/afforestation/reforestation, air pollution, and desert and urban albedo modification.     

The impact of different cooling strategies on urban air temperatures: the cases of Campinas,Brazil and Mendoza,Argentina

This paper describes different ways of reducing urban air temperature and their results in two cities: Campinas, Brazil—a warm temperate climate with a dry winter and hot summer (Cwa), and Mendoza, Argentina—a desert climate with cold steppe (BWk). A high-resolution microclimate modeling system—ENVI-met 3.1—was used to evaluate the thermal performance of an urban canyon in each city. A total of 18 scenarios were simulated including changes in the surface albedo, vegetation percentage, and the H/W aspect ratio of the urban canyons. These results revealed the same trend in behavior for each of the combinations of strategies evaluated in both cities. Nevertheless, these strategies produce a greater temperature reduction in the warm temperate climate (Cwa). Increasing the vegetation percentage reduces air temperatures and mean radiant temperatures in all scenarios. In addition, there is a greater decrease of urban temperature with the vegetation increase when the H/W aspect ratio is lower. Also, applying low albedo on vertical surfaces and high albedo on horizontal surfaces is successful in reducing air temperatures without raising the mean radiant temperature. The best combination of strategies—60 % of vegetation, low albedos on walls and high albedos on pavements and roofs, and 1.5 H/W—could reduce air temperatures up to 6.4 °C in Campinas and 3.5 °C in Mendoza.     

Episodic Performance and Sensitivity of the Urbanized MM5 (uMM5) to Perturbations in Surface Properties in Houston Texas

We present an application of a fine-resolution, meso-urban meteorological model (urbanized MM5; uMM5) to a multi-day episode in August 2000 in the Houston-Galveston Texas, USA region. The model’s episodic performance and its response to small changes in land-cover and surface physical properties in the area, e.g., scenarios of urban heat island mitigation, are evaluated. The model formulation is reviewed along with its parameterizations, data needs, and fine-resolution geometrical input. Development of scenarios of increased urban albedo and vegetative cover is also discussed. This initial application of the uMM5 to the Houston-Galveston region serves as a basis for future model improvements, evaluation of newer data and parameterization applications, testing more aggressive surface modification scenarios, and performing fine-resolution photochemical modelling. It also provides data for comparison of model results with those from previous studies of this region.     

中国地区MODIS地表反照率反演结果的时空分布研究

应用2003—2015年MODIS地表反照率反演质量数据MCD43A2,统计分析中国地区MODIS地表反照率反演质量的时空分布特征,结果表明:1)中国地区MODIS地表反照率反演质量在空间分布上具有明显的差异,高质量全反演结果(质量标记0)主要分布在东北、华北、西北地区和西南地区的中西部;当量反演结果(质量标记3)主要分布在华东、华中、华南地区和西南地区的中东部;填充值(质量标记15)主要分布在华中、华南、华东地区及西南地区的部分区域。2)在东北、华北和西北地区,只有春、夏和秋季才有超过60%的区域可能获得高精度MODIS地表反照率;可能获得高精度M ODIS地表反照率的区域,在西南地区全年各时段都只有40%~60%,在华东、华中和华南地区全年各时段都不足20%。3)各地当量反演结果的比例一般不足50%,华东和华中地区夏季和秋季当量反演结果的比例超过40%;4)华中和华东地区夏季和冬季,以及华南地区春、夏和冬季,填充值的比例超过50%,华南和华中地区最高甚至超过80%。     

On the Influences of Urbanization on the Extreme Rainfall over Zhengzhou on 20 July 2021: A Convection-Permitting Ensemble Modeling Study

This study investigates the influences of urban land cover on the extreme rainfall event over the Zhengzhou city in central China on 20 July 2021 using the Weather Research and Forecasting model at a convection-permitting scale [1-km resolution in the innermost domain(d3)]. Two ensembles of simulation(CTRL, NURB), each consisting of 11 members with a multi-layer urban canopy model and various combinations of physics schemes, were conducted using different land cover scenarios:(i) the real urban ...     

The impact of implementing the bare essentials of surface transfer land surface scheme into the BMRC GCM

This study describes the first order impacts of incorporating a complex land-surface scheme, the bare essentials of surface transfer (BEST), into the Australian Bureau of Meteorology Research Centre (BMRC) global atmospheric general circulation model (GCM). Land seasonal climatologies averaged over the last six years of integrations after equilibrium from the GCM with BEST and without BEST (the control) are compared. The modeled results are evaluated with comprehensive sources of data, including the layer-cloud climatologies from the international satellite cloud climatology project (ISCCP) data from 1983 to 1991 and the surface-observed global data of Warren et al., a five-year climatology of surface albedo estimated from earth radiation budget experiment (ERBE) top-of-the-atmosphere (TOA) radiatioe fluxes, global grid point datasets of precipitation, and the climatological analyses of surface evaporation and albedo. Emphasis is placed on the surface evaluation of simulations of landsurface conditions such as surface roughness, surface albedo and the surface wetness factor, and on their effects on surface evaporation, precipitation, layer-cloud and surface temperature. The improvements due to the inclusion of BEST are: a realistic geographical distribution of surface roughness, a decrease in surface albedo over areas with seasonal snow cover, and an increase in surface albedo over snow-free land. The simulated reduction in surface evaporation due, in part, to the biophysical control of vegetation, is also consistent with the previous studies. Since the control climate has a dry bias, the overall simulations from the GCM with BEST are degraded, except for significant improvements for the northern winter hemisphere because of the realistic vegetation-masking effects. The implications of our results for synergistic developments of other aspects of model parameterization schemes such as boundary layer dynamics, clouds, convection and rainfall are discussed.     

Regional climate change experiments over southern South America. I: present climate

We present an analysis of a regional simulation of present-day climate (1981–1990) over southern South America. The regional model MM5 was nested within time-slice global atmospheric model experiments conducted by the HadAM3H model. We evaluate the capability of the model in simulating the observed climate with emphasis on low-level circulation patterns and surface variables, such as precipitation and surface air mean, maximum and minimum temperatures. The regional model performance was evaluated in terms of seasonal means, seasonal cycles, interannual variability and extreme events. Overall, the regional model is able to capture the main features of the observed mean surface climate over South America, its seasonal evolution and the regional detail due to topographic forcing. The observed regional patterns of surface air temperatures (mean, maxima and minima) are well reproduced. Biases are mostly within 3°C, temperature being overestimated over central Argentina and underestimated in mountainous regions during all seasons. Biases in northeastern Argentina and southeastern Brazil are positive during austral spring season and negative in other seasons. In general, maximum temperatures are better represented than minimum temperatures. Warm bias is larger during austral summer for maximum temperature and during austral winter for minimum temperature, mainly over central Argentina. The broad spatial pattern of precipitation and its seasonal evolution are well captured; however, the regional model overestimates the precipitation over the Andes region in all seasons and in southern Brazil during summer. Precipitation amounts are underestimated over the La Plata basin from fall to spring. Extremes of precipitation are better reproduced by the regional model compared with the driving model. Interannual variability is well reproduced too, but strongly regulated by boundary conditions, particularly during summer months. Overall, taking into account the quality of the simulation, we can conclude that the regional model is capable in reproducing the main regional patterns and seasonal cycle of surface variables. The present reference simulation constitutes the basis to examine the climate change simulations resulting from the A2 and B2 forcing scenarios which are being reported in a separate study.     

Effects of increasing surface reflectivity on aerosol,radiation, and cloud interactions in the urban atmosphere

The online Weather Research and Forecasting model coupled with Chemistry (WRF-Chem) is used to simulate the effects of albedo enhancement on aerosol, radiation, and cloud interactions in the Greater Montreal Area during the 2011 heat wave period. We used a 2-way nested approach to capture the full impacts of meteorological and photochemical reactions in the urban atmosphere. We conducted four sets of simulations with and without aerosol estimations and convective parameterizations to explore the aerosol interactions with radiation and cloud in the urban atmosphere. The direct, semi-direct, and indirect effects of aerosols are analyzed. The meteorological performance of the model indicates that the model slightly underpredicts air temperature, overpredicts wind speed, and underpredicts relative humidity. The chemical component of the model indicates that the model tends to underpredict fine particulate matters and overpredict ozone and nitrogen dioxide concentrations. The surface reflectivity of roofs, walls, and grounds is increased from 0.2 to 0.65, 0.60, and 0.45, respectively. Albedo enhancement led to a net decrease in radiative balance at solar noon by 25 W/m2, a decrease in daily air temperature by 0.5 °C, a reduction in water mixing ratio to 0.5 g/kg, and a decline in cloud coverage by 3% in the center part of the domain. Increasing urban albedo caused a decrease in planetary boundary layer height by 25 m. Albedo enhancement affords a decrease in temperature-sensitive photochemical reaction rates and thus reduces daily ozone concentrations by 3 ppb across the entire domain. The concentration of daily fine particulate matters decreased by 3 μg/m3 in the center part of the GMA during the 2011 heat wave period.     

Global cooling: increasing world-wide urban albedos to offset CO2

Increasing urban albedo can reduce summertime temperatures, resulting in better air quality and savings from reduced air-conditioning costs. In addition, increasing urban albedo can result in less absorption of incoming solar radiation by the surface-troposphere system, countering to some extent the global scale effects of increasing greenhouse gas concentrations. Pavements and roofs typically constitute over 60% of urban surfaces (roof 20–25%, pavements about 40%). Using reflective materials, both roof and pavement albedos can be increased by about 0.25 and 0.15, respectively, resulting in a net albedo increase for urban areas of about 0.1. On a global basis, we estimate that increasing the world-wide albedos of urban roofs and paved surfaces will induce a negative radiative forcing on the earth equivalent to offsetting about 44 Gt of CO₂ emissions. At ～$25/tonne of CO₂, a 44 Gt CO₂ emission offset from changing the albedo of roofs and paved surfaces is worth about $1,100 billion. Furthermore, many studies have demonstrated reductions of more than 20% in cooling costs for buildings whose rooftop albedo has been increased from 10–20% to about 60% (in the US, potential savings exceed $1 billion per year). Our estimated CO₂ offsets from albedo modifications are dependent on assumptions used in this study, but nevertheless demonstrate remarkable global cooling potentials that may be obtained from cooler roofs and pavements.     

IMPROVED FORECASTING OF COLD AIR OUTBREAKS OVER SOUTHERN CHINA THROUGH OROGRAPHIC GRAVITY WAVE DRAG PARAMETERIZATION

The parameterization of gravity wave drag induced by sub-grid scale orography(GWDO), which has been used in the regional model based on the Global/Regional Assimilation and Prediction System for Tropical Mesoscale Model(GRAPES_TMM), is extended to include the effect of mountain flow blocking drag(MBD). The extended scheme is evaluated against non-GWDO parameterization, including a cold air outbreak over southern China and a monthly verification in February 2012. The experiment results show that the GWDO and MBD parameterization both improves the forecasting of the cold air outbreaks over southern China, as well as alleviations of system bias of GRAPES_TMM.(1) The extended scheme alleviates the strong southerly wind and high surface temperature simulation during the cold air outbreak, especially over northern Guangxi and Guangdong(NGG) province, where local high surface temperature simulation reduces nearly 5 degree.(2) The MBD parameterization improves southerly wind simulations over NGG, as well as surface temperature forecasts improvement over Guangxi, Guizhou province and southern Yunnan-Guizhou plateau(YUP), and low level southerly wind simulation improvement over intertidal zone over south China.(3) The formation of MBD is mainly in the mountain area(Wuyi, Daba mountain, east of YUP) and coastal area. The MBD over plateau, which is mainly formed at the west of 105°E, is stronger and thicker than that over Nanling mountain.(4) The improvement of GWDO and MBD parameterization is stable in model physics. MBD parameterization demonstrates more overall improvements in the forecasts than GWDO, and the larger of the model forecast error is, the greater improvements of MBD contribute to. Overall, the extended GWDO scheme successfully improves the simulations of meteorological elements forecasting during cold air outbreaks.     

A Vegetated Urban Canopy Model for Meteorological and Environmental Modelling

An urban canopy model is developed for use in mesoscale meteorological and environmental modelling. The urban geometry is composed of simple homogeneous buildings characterized by the canyon aspect ratio (h/w) as well as the canyon vegetation characterized by the leaf aspect ratio (σ _l ) and leaf area density profile. Five energy exchanging surfaces (roof, wall, road, leaf, soil) are considered in the model, and energy conservation relations are applied to each component. In addition, the temperature and specific humidity of canopy air are predicted without the assumption of thermal equilibrium. For radiative transfer within the canyon, multiple reflections for shortwave radiation and one reflection for longwave radiation are considered, while the shadowing and absorption of radiation due to the canyon vegetation are computed by using the transmissivity and the leaf area density profile function. The model is evaluated using field measurements in Vancouver, British Columbia and Marseille, France. Results show that the model quite well simulates the observations of surface temperatures, canopy air temperature and specific humidity, momentum flux, net radiation, and energy partitioning into turbulent fluxes and storage heat flux. Sensitivity tests show that the canyon vegetation has a large influence not only on surface temperatures but also on the partitioning of sensible and latent heat fluxes. In addition, the surface energy balance can be affected by soil moisture content and leaf area index as well as the fraction of vegetation. These results suggest that a proper parameterization of the canyon vegetation is prerequisite for urban modelling.     

A new design of the LAPS land surface scheme for use over and through heterogeneous and non-heterogeneous surfaces: Numerical simulations and tests

Numerical simulations and tests with the recently redesigned land–air parameterization scheme (LAPS) are presented. In all experiments, supported either by one-point micrometeorological, 1D or 3D simulations, the attention has been directed to: (1) comparison of simulation outputs, expressing the energy transfer over and through heterogeneous and non-heterogeneous surfaces, versus observations and (2) analysis of uncertainties occurring in the solution of the energy balance equation at the land–air interface. To check the proposed method for aggregation of albedo, “propagating hole” sensitivity tests with LAPS over a sandstone rock grid cell have been performed with the forcing meteorological data for July 17, 1999 in Baxter site, Philadelphia (USA). Micrometeorological and biophysical measurements from the surface experiments conducted over crops and apple orchard in Serbia, Poland, Austria and France were used to test the operation of LAPS in calculating surface fluxes and canopy environment temperatures within and above plant covers of different densities. In addition, sensitivity tests with single canopy covers over the Central Europe region and comparison against the observations taken from SYNOP data using 3D simulations were made. Validation of LAPS performances over a solid surface has been done by comparison of 2 m air temperature observations against 5-day simulations over the Sahara Desert rocky ground using 3D model. To examine how realistically the LAPS simulates surface processes over a heterogeneous surface, we compared the air temperature measured at 2 m and that predicted by the 1D model with the LAPS as the surface scheme. Finally, the scheme behaviour over urban surface was tested by runs over different parts of a hypothetical urban area. The corresponding 1D simulations were carried out with an imposed meteorological dataset collected during HAPEX-MOBILHY experiment at Caumont (France). The quantities predicted by the LAPS compare well with the observations and the various subcomponents of the scheme appear to operate realistically.     

Simulations of a Cold-Air Pool in Utah’s Salt Lake Valley: Sensitivity to Land Use and Snow Cover

Obtaining realistic land-surface states for initial and boundary conditions is important for the numerical weather prediction of many atmospheric phenomena. Here we investigate model sensitivity to land use and snow cover for a persistent wintertime cold-air pool in northern Utah during 1–8 January 2011. A Weather Research and Forecast model simulation using the 1993 United States Geological Survey land-use and North American Mesoscale model reanalysis snow-cover datasets is compared to an improved configuration using the modified 2011 National Land Cover Database and a more realistic representation of snow cover. The improved surface specification results in an increase (decrease) in urban land cover (Great Salt Lake surface area), and changes to the snow-cover initialization, depth, extent, and albedo. The results obtained from the model simulations are compared to observations collected during the Persistent Cold-Air Pool Study. The changes in land use and snow cover and the resulting impacts on the surface albedo and surface heat fluxes contributed to near-surface air temperature increases of 1–\(2\,^{\circ }\hbox {C}\) in urban areas and decreases of 2–\(4\,^{\circ }\hbox {C}\) in areas surrounding the Great Salt Lake. Although wind speeds in the boundary layer were overestimated in both simulations, shallow thermally-driven and terrain-forced flows were generally lessened in intensity and breadth in response to the decreased areal extent of the Great Salt Lake and increases in the urban footprint.     

Comprehensive study on the influence of evapotranspiration and albedo on surface temperature related to changes in the leaf area index

Many studies have investigated the influence of evapotranspiration and albedo and emphasize their separate effects but ignore their interactive influences by changing vegetation status in large amplitudes. This paper focuses on the comprehensive influence of evapotranspiration and albedo on surface temperature by changing the leaf area index(LAI) between 30–90 N.Two LAI datasets with seasonally different amplitudes of vegetation change between 30–90N were used in the simulations.Seasonal differences between the results of the simulations are compared, and the major findings are as follows.(1) The interactive effects of evapotranspiration and albedo on surface temperature were different over different regions during three seasons [March–April–May(MAM), June–July–August(JJA), and September–October–November(SON)], i.e., they were always the same over the southeastern United States during these three seasons but were opposite over most regions between30–90 N during JJA.(2) Either evapotranspiration or albedo tended to be dominant over different areas and during different seasons. For example, evapotranspiration dominated almost all regions between 30–90N during JJA, whereas albedo played a dominant role over northwestern Eurasia during MAM and over central Eurasia during SON.(3) The response of evapotranspiration and albedo to an increase in LAI with different ranges showed different paces and signals. With relatively small amplitudes of increased LAI, the rate of the relative increase in evapotranspiration was quick, and positive changes happened in albedo. But both relative changes in evapotranspiration and albedo tended to be gentle, and the ratio of negative changes of albedo increased with relatively large increased amplitudes of LAI.     

The Albedo of Vegetated Land Surfaces: Systems Analysisand Mathematical Modeling

Summary The albedo of vegetated land surfaces (surface albedo) is a key factor in climate modeling and in mechanistic accounting of many ecological processes. This paper proposes a testable numerical equation for the analysis and projection of surface albedo. Conceptualized as the manifestation of a canopy elements-determined basic property after modifications by temporal and spatial circumstances, surface albedo was depicted analytically in relation to 11 driving variables (leaf size, leaf life span, relative leaf age, canopy leaf cover, relative stem cover, vegetation height, stress-calendar day, drought indicator, optical air mass, station atmospheric pressure, snow cover). With peripheral algorithms developed to derive all but two of those variables, surface albedo was linked ultimately to eight rudimentary factors (calendar day, latitude, elevation, vegetation height, dominant plant species, monthly air temperature, monthly precipitation, snow cover). The analytical framework, and then its coefficient values, for surface albedo were generally supported by a series of statistical evaluations in terms of: (i) the equation’s ability to capture, by regression fitting, the variation in the surface albedo of 26 forests (135 data points) distributed around the world; (ii) the quantitative significance of individual driving variables; (iii) the randomness of residual or error distributions; (iv) the performance of the forests-fitted equation in extrapolative prediction of surface albedo against independent data for 8 deforested sites (93 data points) and for 3 types of vegetation (7 data points) at the Arctic treeline. Compared to the data, the fitted or projected albedo values had a margin of error generally within ±10%. The individual coefficient values and component functions of the final equation were consistent with their supposed mechanistic underpinnings, based on independent information from the literature. The equation shed new insight into the quantitative behavior of surface albedo, and upon further validation, should be useful for modeling surface albedo as a key land surface-atmosphere feedback link that varies and interacts with climate and vegetation. Received August 18, 1997     

Aircraft Measurements of Surface Albedo in Relation to Climatic Changes in Southern Israel

Summary Recent studies imply that significant climatic changes over the central and southern coastal plain in Israel may be due to changes in land usage, which have taken place since the National Water Carrier operation in the early 1960’s. Such changes are reflected in the spatial distribution of the surface albedo pattern, obviously resulting in changes in the surface radiation balance and, subsequently, modifying the surface heat fluxes and the stability conditions of the Planetary Boundary Layer (PBL). An Eppley PSP Pyranometer facing downward was mounted on a small Cessna aircraft and flown along the coastal plain from Tel Aviv to the northern Negev south of Beer Sheva, at an altitude of approximately 500 feet, measuring surface reflection. The incoming solar radiation was measured simultaneously, at several surface radiation stations of the Israel Meteorological Service, along the flight path. The results show large differences in surface reflection distributions, between the cultivated areas in southern Israel (as low as 0.15), and the adjacent arid regions (with values of up to 0.35). Historical albedo maps were reconstructed according to land utilization maps of the 1930’s and the 1960’s. A comparison between recent albedo map and the reconstructed maps, indicates temporal changes in the surface albedo pattern during the last decades. Received January 15, 1998 Revised June 23, 1998     

The influence of inter-annually varying albedo on regional climate and drought

Albedo plays an important role in land–atmosphere interactions and local climate. This study presents the impact on simulating regional climate, and the evolution of a drought, when using the default climatological albedo as is usually done in regional climate modelling, or using the actual observed albedo which is rarely done. Here, time-varying satellite derived albedo data is used to update the lower boundary condition of the Weather Research and Forecasting regional climate model in order to investigate the influence of observed albedo on regional climate simulations and also potential changes to land–atmosphere feedback over south-east Australia. During the study period from 2000 to 2008, observations show that albedo increased with an increasingly negative precipitation anomaly, though it lagged precipitation by several months. Compared to in-situ observations, using satellite observed albedo instead of the default climatological albedo provided an improvement in the simulated seasonal mean air temperature. In terms of precipitation, both simulations reproduced the drought that occurred from 2002 through 2006. Using the observed albedo produced a drier simulation overall. During the onset of the 2002 drought, albedo changes enhanced the precipitation reduction by 20 % on average, over locations where it was active. The area experiencing drought increased 6.3 % due to the albedo changes. Two mechanisms for albedo changes to impact land–atmosphere drought feedback are investigated. One accounts for the increased albedo, leading to reduced turbulent heat flux and an associated decrease of moist static energy density in the planetary boundary layer; the other considers that enhanced local radiative heating, due to the drought, favours a deeper planetary boundary layer, subsequently decreasing the moist static energy density through entrainment of the free atmosphere. Analysis shows that drought related large-scale changes in the regional climate favour a strengthening of the second mechanism. That is, the second mechanism is stronger in a drought year compared to a normal year and this difference is larger than for the first mechanism. When both mechanisms are active, the second mechanism tends to dominate across the model domain, particularly during the 2002 drought period. The introduction of observed inter-annual variations in albedo produces an enhancement of the first mechanism and a weakening of the second mechanism during the onset of the drought.     

EVALUATION OF THE PARAMETERIZATION SCHEMES AND NUDGING TECHNIQUES IN GRAPES FOR WARM SECTOR TORRENTIAL RAINS USING SURFACE OBSERVATIONS

Sensitivities of parameterization schemes were conducted based on the Global/Regional Assimilation and Prediction System (GRAPES) model. Surface observations were used to evaluate the simulations and to improve the model’s ability to simulate the extreme precipitation over southern China on 20 July 2016. The results showed that GRAPES captured the large-scale precipitation over southern China but failed to predict the extreme precipitation over Xinyi. The model showed a systematic cold biases by adopting different parameterization schemes. In particular, the ECMWF analyses data showed a strong cold bias over Guangdong province and Guangxi Region. Observational nudging results showed that the surface temperature could largely help to alleviate the cold bias. The alleviation in the warm sector accounted for main improvement by the nudging scheme, and the RMSE was reduced by 1.56 degree from 3.25 degree to 1.69 degree by 1-h simulation and with 1.3 degree alleviation by 2-h simulation. Sensitivities using different parameterizations and the nudging scheme showed that the model’s underestimation of the precipitation was still present despite improvements in the predictions of surface temperature.