Physical parameterizations for limited area models: Some current problems and issues

Summary The current opportunities of progress for short term numerical weather prediction in the domain of physical parametrizations are reviewed. Attention is paid to the fact that many models now resolve very short space and time scales, and the consequences of this situation in terms of physical parametrizations are outlined. It is argued that the most profitable areas of work are currently surface processes and cloud microphysics. The parametrization of deep cumulus convection will probably remain necessary for the next few years, but present operational schemes should be modified to take into account the breakdown of the quasi-equilibrium assumption as space and time resolutions of the models increase.With 13 Figures     

11个S2S模式对MJO预报效果的评估分析

利用次季节一季节预报研究计划(Subseasonal to Seasonal Prediction Project,S2S)的多模式产品集,系统评估了产品集中11个模式对MJO的实际预报技巧.如果以距平相关系数ACC为0.5作为有效预报技巧的阈值,S2S各模式的MJO实际预报时效为8～32 d.S2S各模式预报普遍低估...     

Predictability of Mediterranean climate variables from oceanic variability. Part II: Statistical models for monthly precipitation and temperature in the Mediterranean area

The objective of this study is to investigate the predictability of monthly climate variables in the Mediterranean area by using statistical models. It is a well-known fact that the future state of the atmosphere is sensitive to preceding conditions of the slowly varying ocean component with lead times being sufficiently long for predictive assessments. Sea surface temperatures (SSTs) are therefore regarded as one of the best variables to be used in seasonal climate predictions. In the present study, SST-regimes which have been derived and discussed in detail in Part I of this paper, are used with regard to monthly climate predictions for the Mediterranean area. Thus, cross-correlations with time lags from 0 up to 12?months and ensuing multiple regression analyses between the large-scale SST-regimes and monthly precipitation and temperature for Mediterranean sub-regions have been performed for the period 1950?C2003. Statistical hindcast ensembles of Mediterranean precipitation including categorical forecast skill can be identified only for some months in different seasons and for some individual regions of the Mediterranean area. Major predictors are the tropical Atlantic Ocean and the North Atlantic Ocean SST-regimes, but significant relationships can also be found with tropical Pacific and North Pacific SST-regimes. Statistical hindcast ensembles of Mediterranean temperature with some categorical forecast skill can be determined primarily for the Western Mediterranean and the North African regions throughout the year. As for precipitation the major predictors for temperature are located in the tropical Atlantic Ocean and the North Atlantic Ocean, but some connections also exist with the Pacific SST variations.     

Predictability of SST forced climate signals in two atmospheric general circulation models

 The predictability of atmospheric responses to global sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies is evaluated using ensemble simulations of two general circulation models (GCMs): the GENESIS version 1.5 (GEN) and the ECMWF cycle 36 (ECM). The integrations incorporate observed SST variations but start from different initial land and atmospheric states. Five GEN 1980–1992 and six ECM 1980–1988 realizations are compared with observations to distinguish predictable SST forced climate signals from internal variability. To facilitate the study, correlation analysis and significance evaluation techniques are developed on the basis of time series permutations. It is found that the annual mean global area with realistic signals is variable dependent and ranges from 3 to 20% in GEN and 6 to 28% in ECM. More than 95% of these signal areas occur between 35 °S–35 °N. Due to the existence of model biases, robust responses, which are independent of initial condition, are identified over broader areas. Both GCMs demonstrate that the sensitivity to initial conditions decreases and the predictability of SST forced responses increases, in order, from 850 hPa zonal wind, outgoing longwave radiation, 200 hPa zonal wind, sea-level pressure to 500 hPa height. The predictable signals are concentrated in the tropical and subtropical Pacific Ocean and are identified with typical El Ni?o/ Southern Oscillation phenomena that occur in response to SST and diabatic heating anomalies over the equatorial central Pacific. ECM is less sensitive to initial conditions and better predicts SST forced climate changes. This results from (1) a more realistic basic climatology, especially of the upper-level wind circulation, that produces more realistic interactions between the mean flow, stationary waves and tropical forcing; (2) a more vigorous hydrologic cycle that amplifies the tropical forcing signals, which can exceed internal variability and be more efficiently transported from the forcing region. Differences between the models and observations are identified. For GEN during El Ni?o, the convection does not carry energy to a sufficiently high altitude, while the spread of the tropospheric warming along the equator is slower and the anomaly magnitude smaller than observed. This impacts model ability to simulate realistic responses over Eurasia and the Indian Ocean. Similar biases exist in the ECM responses. In addition, the relationships between upper and lower tropospheric wind responses to SST forcing are not well reproduced by either model. The identification of these model biases leads to the conclusion that improvements in convective heat and momentum transport parametrizations and basic climate simulations could substantially increase predictive skill. Received: 25 April 1996 / Accepted: 9 December 1996     

A limited area model for monsoon prediction

A six level regional primitive equation model has been formulated and tested for monsoon prediction. The model uses dynamic normal mode initialization scheme for obtaining initial balance. The physical processes included are: the large scale condensation, the Kuo type of cumulus convection, the surface friction, the sensible heat supply and evap-oration over the sea. The actual smooth orography is included. The model has been integrated for 48 hrs using input of 7 July and 8 August 1979 when the domain of integration was dominated by an intense monsoon depression. In order to investigate the model simulation of formative stage of the depression, the model was also integrated using input of 4 July 1979.Furthermore, the envelope orography has been constructed and included in the model for investigating its effects on the monsoon prediction. Results of the model forecast are presented and discussed.     

Stratospheric radiative feedback limited by the tropospheric influence in global warming

Whether the stratospheric radiative feedback amplifies the global warming remains under debate. The stratospheric water vapor (SWV), one of the primary feedbacks in the stratosphere, is argued to be an important contributor to the global warming. On the other hand, the overall stratospheric feedback, which consists of both the SWV feedback and the stratospheric temperature (ST) feedback, does not amount to a significant value. The key to reconciling these seemingly contradictory arguments is to understand the ST change. Here, we develop a method to decompose the ST change and to quantify the decomposed feedbacks. We find that the SWV feedback, which consists of a 0.04 W m⁻² K⁻¹ direct impact on the top-of-the-atmosphere radiation and 0.11 W m⁻² K⁻¹ indirect impact via ST cooling, is offset by a negative ST feedback of − 0.13 W m⁻² K⁻¹ that is radiatively driven by the tropospheric warming. This compensation results in an insignificant overall stratospheric feedback.

     

Predictability of winter rainfall in South China as demonstrated by the coupled models of ENSEMBLES

Winter rainfall over South China shows strong interannual variability,which accounts for about half of the total winter rainfall over South China.This study investigated the predictability of winter （December-January-February; DJF） rainfall over South China using the retrospective forecasts of five state-of-the-art coupled models included in the ENSEMBLES project for the period 1961-2006.It was found that the ENSEMBLES models predicted the interannual variation of rainfall over South China well,with the correlation coefficient between the observed/station-averaged rainfall and predicted/areaaveraged rainfall being 0.46.In particular,above-normal South China rainfall was better predicted,and the correlation coefficient between the predicted and observed anomalies was 0.64 for these wetter winters.In addition,the models captured well the main features of SST and atmospheric circulation anomalies related to South China rainfall variation in the observation.It was further found that South China rainfall,when predicted according to predicted DJF Nifio3.4 index and the ENSO-South China rainfall relationship,shows a prediction skill almost as high as that directly predicted,indicating that ENSO is the source for the predictability of South China rainfall.     

Cyclone track prediction by a quasi-Lagrangian limited area model

Summary. ?Cyclone track predictions in the Indian seas (Bay of Bengal and Arabian Sea) with a quasi-Lagrangian model (QLM) have been attempted. QLM has a horizontal resolution of 40 km and 16 sigma levels in the vertical. It is integrated in a domain of about 4400 × 4400 km². A new initialization procedure to provide initial fields for running the model has been designed. The initialization procedure consists of updating the global model forecasts, used as first guess, provided by the National Center for Medium Range Weather Forecasting (NCMRWF), New Delhi. A new version of IMD’s operational optimum interpolation scheme has been created to suit the QLM grid structure. Lateral boundary conditions are computed from the extended forecasts of NCMRWF. The track forecasts in each case show a reasonable skill of the forecast model in predicting the direction of movement within acceptable limits of forecast errors, which are comparable to some of the best models operated by advanced NWP centers of the world. Even the recurving storms are well predicted. Evolution of the vertical motion fields are also studied which reveal some interesting features, which are described in detail in the text. The composited vertical motion fields are projected against observed rainfall distribution, which show a good spatial correspondence. Received August 9, 2001; revised March 12, 2002; accepted June 17, 2002 Published online: May 8, 2003     

几种水平面太阳总辐射量计算模型的对比分析

利用中国区域1961-1999年39 a间98个常规气象观测数据,建立6个模型分别以天文辐射、干洁大气总辐射和湿洁大气总辐射为起始数据,进行太阳辐射日总量的模拟,对比分析了6个水平面太阳总辐射量计算模型的性能.结果表明:在三种起始数据中,干洁大气总辐射和湿洁大气总辐射均能较好地体现宏观地势对太阳辐射空间分布的影响,以湿洁大气总辐射为起始数据的计算模型拟合精度相对较高.对6个水平面太阳总辐射量计算模型的对比分析发现:2个以日照百分率为主导因子,气温日较差为修正项的综合模型拟合误差最小,精度最高;经典的日照百分率模型次之,但其模型系数最稳定可靠;3个气温日较差模型拟合效果最差.最终选用经验系数稳定、拟合精度较高的日照百分率模型,制作了2001年中国水平面太阳辐射日总量空间分布图.     

Quantile spline models for global temperature change

The Hansen and Lebedeff data set on global surface air temperature change is reanalyzed using smoothing splines designed to estimate the conditional quantile functions of global temperature over the last century. It is assumed only that the quantiles are smooth functions of time. The smoothness of the fitted quantile functions is determined by a data driven version of the Schwarz criterion. The estimates offer statistical evidence of a break in the generally upward sloping trend of the temperature series during the period from 1940 to 1965, a finding originally suggested by Hansen and Lebedeff (1987).     

Predictability of the East Asian winter monsoon indices by the coupled models of ENSEMBLES

The seasonal predictability of various East Asian winter monsoon （EAWM） indices was investigated in this study based on the retrospective forecasts of the five state-of-the-art coupled models from ENSEMBLES for a 46-year period of 19612006.It was found that the ENSEMBLES models predict five out of the 21 EAWM indices well,with temporal correlation coefficients ranging from 0.54 to 0.61.These five indices are defined by the averaged lower-tropospheric winds over the low latitudes （south of 30°N）.Further analyses indicated that the predictability of these five indices originates from their intimate relationship with ENSO.A cross-validated prediction,which took the preceding （November） observed Nifo3.4 index as a predictor,gives a prediction skill almost identical to that shown by the model.On the other hand,the models present rather low predictability for the other indices and for surface air temperature in East Asia.In addition,the models fail to reproduce the relationship between the indices of different categories,implying that they cannot capture the tropicalextratropical interaction related to EAWM variability.Together,these results suggest that reliable prediction of the EAWM indices and East Asian air temperature remains a challenge.     

检验全球数值预报模式的相似度等指标

本文依照泛函形式并考虑了球面经纬网格的特点,定义了用于全球数值模式效果检验的指标:距离、距平相似度和倾向相似度,给出了相应的计算方法,并以全球WRF模式为例,检验了该模式的中期预报效果。所得结论如下:指标距离、距平相似度和倾向相似度物理意义明确,易于理论分析,考虑了球面经纬网格的特点,检验准确度高,具有普适性,能方便应用于球面经纬网格输出的数值模式检验。指标距离、距平相似度的检验结果分别与传统检验指标均方根误差、距平相关系数相一致,该指标还可直接用于向量场(如风场)的整体检验。本文的全球WRF模式所做的检验表明,对本文个例,该模式的全球500 hPa中期天气形势预报在第7 d及之内皆可用,5 d及之内预报效果更佳。     

Zonal winds and southeast Australian rainfall in global and regional climate models

Southeast Australia is a region of high rainfall variability related to major climate drivers, with a long-term declining trend in cool-season rainfall. Projections of future rainfall trends are uncertain in this region, despite projected southward shifts in the subtropical ridge and mid-latitude westerlies. This appears to be related to a poor representation of the spatial relationships between rainfall variability and zonal wind patterns across southeast Australia in the latest Coupled Model Intercomparison Project ensemble, particularly in the areas where weather systems embedded in the mid-latitude westerlies are the main source of cool-season rainfall. Downscaling with regional climate models offers improvements in the mean rainfall climatology, and shows some ability to correct for poor modelled relationships between rainfall and zonal winds along the east coast of Australia. However, it provides only minor improvements to these relationships in southeast Australia, despite the improved representation of topographic features. These results suggest that both global and regional climate models may fail to translate projected circulation changes into their likely rainfall impacts in southeast Australia.     

Identification and elimination of an inflow boundary computational solution in limited area model integrations

Abstract

The linearized non‐divergent barotropic vorticity equation in one dimension is used for the study of a problem associated with the specification of lateral boundaries in limited area models. This problem presents itself in the form of a “pillow” that builds up near the inflow boundary of the model. Linear analysis shows that this pillow can easily be eliminated. Linear integrations carried out with a corrector seem to be reasonably accurate.

Similar integrations with the linearized shallow water equations in one dimension also produce a pillow and the same corrector gives improved results. Additional runs are performed in order to show that some commonly used nesting strategies do not control this computational problem in a satisfactory manner. It seems that these strategies could be improved with an appropriate corrector.