Comparison of products from ERA-40, NCEP-2, and CRU with station data for summer precipitation over China

Summer precipitation products from the 45-Year European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecast (ECMWF) Reanalysis (ERA-40), and NCEP-Department of Energy (DOE) Atmospheric Model Intercomparison Project (AMIP-II) Reanalysis (NCEP-2), and Climatic Research Unit (CRU) TS 2.1 dataset are compared with the corresponding observations over China in order to understand the quality and utility of the reanalysis datasets for the period 1979–2001. The results reveal that although the magnitude and location of the rainfall belts differ among the reanalysis, CRU, and station data over South and West China, the spatial distributions show good agreement over most areas of China. In comparison with the observations in most areas of China, CRU best matches the observed summer precipitation, while ERA-40 reports less precipitation and NCEP-2 reports more precipitation than the observations. With regard to the amplitude of the interannual variations, CRU is better than either of the reanalyses in representing the corresponding observations. The amplitude in NCEP-2 is stronger but that of ERA-40 is weaker than the observations in most study domains. NCEP-2 has a more obvious interannual variability than ERA-40 or CRU in most areas of East China. Through an Empirical orthogonal function (EOF) analysis, the main features of the rainfall belts produced by CRU agree better with the observations than with those produced by the reanalyses in the Yangtze-Huaihe River valley. In East of China, particularly in the Yangtze-Huaihe River valley, CRU can reveal the quasi-biennial oscillation of summer precipitation represented by the observations, but the signal of ERA-40 is comparatively weak and not very obvious, whereas that of NCEP-2 is also weak before 1990 but very strong after 1990. The results also suggest that the magnitude of the precipitation difference between ERA-40 and the observations is smaller than that between NCEP-2 and the observations, but the variations represented by NCEP-2 are more reasonable than those given by ERA-40 in most areas of East China to some extent.     

ISCCP产品和我国地面观测总云量差异

国际卫星云气候计划ISCCP是国际上较权威和客观的云气候性研究计划, 自1983年以来为研究全球云和辐射平衡、云水资源分布等提供了有价值的数据。在分析总云量卫星和地面两种观测方式差异的基础上, 研究了1984-2006年ISCCP D2产品和我国地面观测云资料数据集总云量空间及时间差异。尽管两套资料能一致揭示我国总云量的分布形势和气候变化特征, 但区域性差异仍比较明显。天基、地基数据可对比格点上, 全国平均而言总云量卫星观测结果比地面观测偏高8.46%, 华南地区差异最小、东北地区差异最大。气候变化趋势分析结果表明:近23年我国总云量呈减少趋势, ISCCP D2产品总云量每年减少速度为0.015%, 小于地面观测的总云量每年减少速度 (0.063%); 东北地区总云量缓慢增多, 而青藏高原、西北地区总云量减少。利用卫星和地面资料均以累积距平法检测出1984—2001年总云量减少、2002-2006年总云量显著增加。     

利用不同资料研究我国大陆上空柱水汽含量

利用1971—2001年探空资料以及ERA-40和NCEP/NCAR再分析资料分别得到地面到300 hPa我国大陆上空大气柱水汽含量,对3种不同资料所得的柱水汽含量的空间分布特征以及线性趋势进行对比分析。结果表明:3种资料得到的柱水汽含量年平均和季节平均的空间分布特征一致;3种资料年平均的线性变化趋势在东北地区、内蒙古东部地区,西南地区北部、华南沿海和新疆北部地区均呈增加趋势;在华北和华东的部分地区,ERA-40和NCEP/NCAR再分析资料为降低趋势,而探空资料得到的柱水汽含量变化相对较小,但未通过信度检验;探空资料得到的柱水汽含量的相对变化显示我国东北地区、内蒙古东部地区、新疆地区的增加更显著。     

总云量产品在中国区域的分析检验

对ISCCP、常规观测以及MODIS总云量3种目前使用较多的总云量资料进行对比分析, 重点考察时间序列较长的ISCCP和常规观测总云量, 给出定量对比结果, 为使用这3种总云量资料的用户提供参考。研究表明:ISCCP与常规观测总云量相比, 7月二者的空间分布具有很好的一致性, 但白天ISCCP总云量比常规观测总云量多, 夜间却往往比常规观测总云量少, 二者误差分布表现为东部和东南部小于西北部的特征; 而1月二者空间分布比较一致, 但是在天山和东北地区高、低值中心经常不匹配, 这两个区域总云量资料需慎用; 7月ISCCP总云量精度明显高于1月。ISCCP、常规观测以及MODIS总云量对比结果表明:1月MODIS总云量比其他两种资料大, 而7月为最小。相对常规观测, 1月ISCCP总云量精度优于MODIS, 而7月MODIS总云量略优于ISCCP。     

1901~2013年GPCC和CRU降水资料在中国大陆的适用性评估

利用1901~2013年中国大陆地区的气象台站实测降水资料,对东英吉利（East Anglia）大学气候研究中心（Climatic Research Unit,CRU）和全球降水气候中心（Global Precipitation Climatology Centre,GPCC）的降水资料分别从季节、年际和年代际尺度上进行了评估。结果表明：1961~2013年CRU与GPCC降水资料均能较准确地描述中国大陆地区的降水特征,且在东部较西部地区、夏季较冬季与站点实测降水情况更为一致。将中国大陆划分为不同区域并在其季节、年际和年代际时间尺度上通过比较降水偏差绝对值的百分比、均方根误差和相关系数等统计量后发现：CRU在青藏高原和其它较大的山脉附近与站点实测降水的差别较大,且年均降水趋势在西北一带的阿尔金山脉、黄土高原、东南地区和长江下游地区,比实测降水的年均趋势小、甚至出现趋势相反的情况。此外,CRU降水的年代际变化趋势也偏小。而GPCC数据不论是降水量还是降水趋势都更接近实际情况。在1901~1961年,通过与65个长期气象观测站点的降水时间序列比较发现,CRU在110°E以西地区与站点观测的降水资料间的差别较大,而GPCC与站点观测资料的吻合较好。最后,利用1961~2013年两套降水资料和站点实测资料分别计算了标准化降水指数（SPI）,简单分析了中国大陆地区的干旱变化,发现GPCC对旱涝的时空变化特征的描述比CRU更接近站点实际观测;并且CRU也没有反映出1997年夏季中国地区出现的严重干旱情况,而GPCC较为准确地反映出了这一干旱事件特征。因此,本文的研究结果认为,就中国大陆地区长时期降水资料而言,GPCC的适用性优于CRU。     

近20年中国地区云量变化趋势

利用国际卫星云气候学计划（ISCCP）最新的D2云气候资料集,给出总云量、高云量及中云量在我国地区的分布特征;分别对季节平均和年平均的时间序列进行线性趋势分析,并进行效果检验。结果表明：近20年来中国大部分地区总云量没有显著的变化趋势,但是,在华南地区和西北部分地区的总云量有增加的趋势,青藏高原中部的总云量有所减少;在不同季节,各地总云量、高云量和中云量的变化趋势是不同的。     

Intercomparison of the South Asian High in NCEP1, NCEP2, and ERA-40 Reanalyses and in Station Observations

The South Asian Highs (SAHs) at 100 hPa over China in the three reanalysis datasets NCEP1, NCEP2, and ERA-40 are evaluated by using station observation data. The results demonstrate a substantial discrepancy even between the reanalyses. First, the data of the three reanalyses generally underestimate the intensity of the SAH in the China domain. Second, there are interdecadal changes in the SAH, with highs in the 1960s and 1980s and lows in the 1970s, 1990s, and 2000s. This interdecadal variation of the SAH can be well depicted with NCEP1 data, but the high in the 1980s is missed by ERA-40. The NCEP2 corresponds well with NCEP 1 and captures the decreasing trend after 1979. Furthermore, the NCEP1 reanalysis overestimates the interdecadal changes of SAH, while ERA-40 underestimates the interdecadal changes. This work suggests that much caution should be exerted when the reanalysis datasets are adopted to study the interdecadal variability of SAH.     

中国及其周边地区多种水凝物资料的气候态特征比较

对云的水凝物含量进行研究有利于认识云的辐射性质和强迫效应,以及改善模式的预报性能。利用目前几种较为常用的卫星观测资料（ISCCP、MODIS和CloudSat）和再分析资料（CFSR和ERA-Interim）,对中国及其周边地区的多种水凝物变量,包括积分的云水路径、液水路径和冰水路径,以及分层的液态水含量和冰水含量的气候态水平及垂直分布特征进行了比较研究。结果表明,在总的水凝物含量方面,无论是描述整个中国及其周边地区的水平分布特征和主要变化模态,还是不同海陆区域的月变化特点,MODIS、ERA和CFSR三种资料都显示出较高的一致性,而ISCCP的绝对数值和变化幅度与它们均存在一定差异。在液态水含量方面,无论是水平还是垂直分布,ERA-Interim都有最高的数值,作为观测数据的MODIS和ISCCP则显著偏低。对于冰水含量,不同资料间无论是水平和垂直分布形式还是具体数值都存在明显差异。通过分析不同水凝物资料间气候态分布的差异性特征,有利于认识目前常用的几种水凝物资料的“不确定性”程度,从而更好地估计云的辐射效应,以及理解其在气候变化中所扮演的角色。      

Comparison of surface variables from ERA and NCEP reanalysis with station data over eastern China

This study compared precipitation, mean air temperature (MAT) and mean sea level pressure (MSLP) from two widely used reanalysis datasets (ERA-40 and NCEP) with those from observed stations across eastern China. The evaluation was based on a comparison of both temporal and spatial variability and included several assessment criteria such as the mean values, normalized root mean square error, Mann–Kendall test, empirical orthogonal functions (EOFs) and probability density functions. The results showed that both the ERA-40 and NCEP datasets could capture temporal and spatial variability of the observed precipitation, MAT and MSLP over eastern China. The results showed that the two reanalysis datasets performed better for MAT and MSLP than for precipitation. Overall, the two reanalysis datasets revealed reasonable agreement with observations according to the evaluation. ERA-40 was better at capturing the temporal and spatial distributions for these three variables than NCEP, especially for MAT and MSLP. NCEP tended to overestimate the annual precipitation for both mean and extreme values, while ERA-40 tended to underestimate it, particularly for extreme values. The two reanalysis datasets performed better in the east and northeast regions of the study area than in other regions for capturing the temporal variability of MAT and MSLP. ERA-40 was poor at capturing the temporal variability of precipitation in northeastern China. According to the trend analysis, the two reanalysis datasets showed lower trends for MAT and precipitation and higher trends for MSLP. Both ERA-40 and NCEP had larger explained variances for the first two EOFs than the observed precipitation. This implies that both reanalysis datasets tend to simulate a more uniform spatial distribution for precipitation in the study area.     

气象卫星高空间分辨率数据的云量计算与检验

该文利用国家卫星气象中心1998—2008年NOAA卫星的存档数据,在再定标和精定位等数据再处理基础上,利用自行研发的云检测算法及云量计算方法,生成空间分辨率为0.01°×0.01°、时间尺度为10年的逐日云量数据,并利用ISCCP和地面观测数据对计算得到的云参数进行数据质量评估。评估结果显示:利用NOAA数据的抽样云检测结果与ISCCP-DX数据相比,晴空像元检测率具有0.70左右的一致性;有云像元检测率具有60%左右的一致性。卫星计算的总云量与地面观测总云量间的月平均相关系数大于0.70。     

多套格点降水资料在云南及周边地区的对比

利用1979—2006年云南及周边地区148个测站月降水资料 (简称为STN) 与APHRO (日本APHRODITE高分辨率逐日亚洲陆地降水数据集)、GPCC (全球降水气候中心的月降水合成数据)、CRU (英国East Anglia大学提供的月降水要素数据集)、CMAP (雨量资料与卫星估计及NCEP/NCAR再分析降水场合并分析月数据)、GPCP (全球降水气候中心研制的全球陆地雨量计观测分析月数据) 5套格点降水资料,分析了云南及周边地区气候特征。结果表明:5套格点降水资料空间分布与STN基本一致。EOF第1模态空间场分布也表明:这5套格点降水资料与STN空间分布特征较为一致,但5套格点降水资料在滇南、滇西北、滇川黔交界的3个区域的分布与STN有较大不同,各套资料的EOF第1模态时间序列、与STN的相关系数及均方根误差均随时间不同呈较为一致的波动性;在降水空间分布、相关系数及均方根误差3个方面,APHRO适用性最好,GPCC次之,CMAP与GPCP无明显差别,CRU最差,其中APHRO,GPCC在对降水估计偏低,CRU对降水估计总体略高,CMAP略低,GPCP对降水估计则明显偏高。     

An Assessment of the Quality of Surface Sensible Heat Flux Derived from Reanalysis Data through Comparison with Station Observations in Northwest China

The present study compares seasonal and interdecadal variations in surface sensible heat flux over Northwest China between station observations and ERA-40 and NCEP-NCAR reanalysis data for the period 1960-2000.While the seasonal variation in sensible heat flux is found to be consistent between station observations and the two reanalysis datasets,both land-air temperatures difference and surface wind speed show remarkable systematic differences.The sensible heat flux displays obvious interdecadal variability that is season-dependent.In the ERA-40 data,the sensible heat flux in spring,fall,and winter shows interdecadal variations that are similar to observations.In the NCEP-NCAR reanalysis data,sensible heat flux variations are inconsistent with and sometimes even opposite to observations.While surface wind speeds from the NCEP-NCAR reanalysis data show interdecadal changes consistent with station observations,variations in land-air temperature difference differ greatly from the observed dataset.In terms of land-air temperature difference and surface wind speed,almost no consistency with observations can be identified in the ERA-40 data,apart from the land-air temperature difference in fall and winter.These inconsistencies pose a major obstacle to the application in climate studies of surface sensible heat flux derived from reanalysis data.     

Response of Atmospheric Energy to Historical Climate Change in CMIP5

Three forms of atmospheric energy, i.e., internal, potential, and latent, are analyzed based on the historical simulations of 32 Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5(CMIP5) models and two reanalysis datasets(NCEP/NCAR and ERA-40). The spatial pattern of climatological mean atmospheric energy is well reproduced by all CMIP5 models. The variation of globally averaged atmospheric energy is similar to that of surface air temperature(SAT) for most models. The atmospheric energy from both simulation and reanalysis decreases following the volcanic eruption in low-latitude zones. Generally, the climatological mean of simulated atmospheric energy from most models is close to that obtained from NCEP/NCAR, while the simulated atmospheric energy trend is close to that obtained from ERA-40. Under a certain variation of SAT, the simulated global latent energy has the largest increase ratio, and the increase ratio of potential energy is the smallest.     

中国区域ERA-40、NCEP-2再分析资料与观测资料的初步比较与分析

再分析资料在气候变化研究中有着广泛的应用,但是再分析资料在不同时空尺度上的可信度能够影响到研究结果。作者就中国区域的月平均地表(2 m)气温和降水两种基本气候变量在空间分布及其变化趋势上对ERA-40和NCEP-2与观测资料之间的差异做了一些比较和分析,对两套再分析资料的可信度进行了初步的检验。结果表明:两套再分析资料基本上都能反映出中国区域的温度场和降水场的时空分布,尽管在中国西部,尤其是青藏高原地区的差异比较较大;再分析资料在东部地区的可信度高于西部,温度场的可信度要高于降水场,ERA-40可信度要高于NCEP-2。     

多种再分析资料中热带气旋潜在生成指数分析

根据7套再分析资料计算的热带气旋潜在生成指数(GPI),分析了GPI对西北太平洋区域台风盛季(7—9月)热带气旋生成的表征能力。结果表明,虽然这些再分析资料计算得到的GPI的空间分布与观测的热带气旋生成特征都比较一致。但是,在时间变化上7套再分析资料计算的GPI对观测热带气旋生成的表征能力差异较大,其中ERA-40(欧州中期天气预报中心再分析资料)和MERRA(美国国家航空和航天局研究和应用再分析资料)的GPI与观测的相关系数较高。进一步分析表明,各套资料GPI之间时间变化的差异主要来自相对湿度,而ERA-40和MERRA的GPI与观测值有较高的相关系数,也与相对湿度有密切关系。     

几种再分析地表气压资料在中国区域的适用性评估

应用台站观测资料对ERA-40, NCEP/NCAR以及NCEP/DOE再分析地表气压产品在中国不同区域、不同年代和不同季节的适用性进行了评估。分析发现, 几种再分析产品虽然能在一定程度上反映出观测资料所具有的时空分布特征, 但它们之间的差异却具有明显的区域和季节变化特征, 即冬季小而夏季大、东部地区小而西部地区大; 同时还发现ERA-40和NCEP/NCAR再分析产品在20世纪70年代以前均与观测资料有相对较大的差别, 特别是NCEP/NCAR在70年代以前的夏季气压值过于偏低, 从而夸大了很多地区的年代际变化特征。相比而言, ERA-40地表气压的长期变化趋势以及时空演变规律在中国大多数地区要优于NCEP/NCAR再分析产品, 特别是在中国西部地区。分析还表明, NCEP/DOE虽与观测资料存在一定的系统性偏差, 却与另外两种再分析产品有着较为相似的年际变化特征及趋势。     

三套再分析降水资料在中国区域的对比评估

利用实测资料对NCEP-1、ERA-40和20CR再分析降水资料在中国范围内均值、年际变化、相关性和长期趋势等方面进行比较评估。结果表明,平均而言ERA-40年降水量和实测值最为接近,而20CR和NCEP-1年降水量明显偏多,三者差值百分比分别为-1.3%,55.0%和36.9%;三种再分析降水偏差最大区均出现在西南地区,最大偏差值都在600 mm以上;年际变化上,ERA-40和NCEP-1自20世纪70年代中期开始年降水差值百分比出现一定波动性,而20CR在整个研究时段年降水差值百分比基本稳定;三套资料和实测资料的相关性具有明显的区域性特征,东部相关系数明显高于西部,值得一提的是ERA-40在大部地区的相关性好于其他两套资料;ERA-40和20CR则对大部分区域降水变化趋势的描述好于NCEP-1资料。     

Orographic cloud in a GCM: the missing cirrus

Observations from the International Satellite Cloud Climatalogy Project (ISCCP) are used to demonstrate that the 19-level HadAM3 version of the United Kingdom Met Office Unified Model does not simulate sufficient high cloud over land. By using low-altitude winds, from the European Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasting (ECMWF) Re-Analysis from 1979 to 1994 (ERA-15) to predict the areas of maximum likelihood of orographic wave generation, it is shown that much of the deficiency is likely to be due to the lack of a representation of the orographic cirrus generated by sub-grid scale orography. It is probable that this is a problem in most GCMs.     

NCEP/NCAR和ERA-40再分析资料以及探空观测资料分析中国北方地区年代际气候变化

利用中国东部的探空站资料以及ERA40和NCAR/NCEP再分析资料,详细地比较了我国北方地区(主要指内蒙古以及华北地区)的高低层位势高度以及温度的特征.结果表明,在20世纪70年代以前,NCEP/NCAR再分析资料对我国北方地区对流层低层无论是位势高度或温度都描述不好,存在着很明显的虚假年代际变化趋势.与实际探空资料相比,相对于NCEP/NCAR再分析资料,ERA-40再分析资料对东亚地区对流层低层位势高度或温度的描述明显好于NCEP/NCAR再分析资料,因此,研究东亚气候的年代际变化应用ERA-40再分析资料要好一些.高层的结果要比低层好.在70年代以后,NCEP/NCAR再分析资料对于内蒙古和华北对流层上层的位势高度和温度的描述要好于ERA-40再分析资料,更接近于实际探空值,这说明这两份再分析资料各有优缺点.