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We examine the impact of horizontal resolution and model time step on the climate of the OpenIFS version 43r3 atmospheric general circulation model. A series of simulations for the period 1979–2019 are conducted with various horizontal resolutions (i.e. ∼100 , ∼50 , and ∼25 km) while maintaining the same time step (i.e. 15 min) and using different time steps (i.e. 60, 30, and 15 min) at 100 km horizontal resolution. We find that the surface zonal wind bias is significantly reduced over certain regions such as the Southern Ocean and the Northern Hemisphere mid-latitudes and in tropical and subtropical regions at a high horizontal resolution (i.e. ∼25 km). Similar improvement is evident too when using a coarse-resolution model (∼100 km) with a smaller time step (i.e. 30 and 15 min). We also find improvements in Rossby wave amplitude and phase speed, as well as in weather regime patterns, when a smaller time step or higher horizontal resolution is used. The improvement in the wind bias when using the shorter time step is mostly due to an increase in shallow and mid-level convection that enhances vertical mixing in the lower troposphere. The enhanced mixing allows frictional effects to influence a deeper layer and reduces wind and wind speed throughout the troposphere. However, precipitation biases generally increase with higher horizontal resolutions or smaller time steps, whereas the surface air temperature bias exhibits a small improvement over North America and the eastern Eurasian continent. We argue that the bias improvement in the highest-horizontal-resolution (i.e. ∼25 km) configuration benefits from a combination of both the enhanced horizontal resolution and the shorter time step. In summary, we demonstrate that, by reducing the time step in the coarse-resolution (∼100 km) OpenIFS model, one can alleviate some climate biases at a lower cost than by increasing the horizontal resolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ridging South Atlantic Anticyclones contribute an important amount of precipitation over South Africa. Here, we use a global coupled climate model and the ERA5 reanalysis to separate for the first time ridging highs (RHs) based on whether they occur together with Rossby wave breaking (RWB) or not. We show that the former type of RHs are associated with more precipitation than the latter type. The mean sea level pressure anomalies caused by the two types of RHs are characterized by distinct patterns, leading to differences in the flow of moisture‐laden air onto land. We additionally find that RWB mediates the effect of climate change on RHs during the twenty‐first century. Consequently, RHs occurring without RWB exhibit little change, while those occurring with RWB contribute more precipitation over the southern and less precipitation over the northeastern South Africa in the future. Plain Language Summary: The high pressure system located above the South Atlantic Ocean occasionally extends eastward over South Africa, leading to winds that blow onshore and carry moisture from the warm waters of the Southwest Indian Ocean to the coast. These events, termed ridging highs (RHs), bring an important contribution to precipitation over the southern and eastern parts of South Africa. Their occurrence is related to the propagation and breaking of atmospheric waves at the boundary between the troposphere and the stratosphere. This study categorizes RHs based on the behavior of atmospheric waves above and shows that events that are accompanied by wave breaking result in more precipitation over South Africa. In addition, model simulations are used to investigate the impact of climate change during the twenty‐first century on RHs and the associated precipitation. Although the model predicts that in total South Africa will experience drier conditions in the future, RHs contribute to this drying trend only in the northeastern part of the country. In the southern part of South Africa, the model simulates that RHs will bring more precipitation in the future. Key Points: Ridging South Atlantic Anticyclones are accompanied by Rossby wave breaking (RWB) aloft in 44% of the casesRidging highs that are accompanied by RWB lead to more precipitation over South Africa than those that are notRidging highs bring more precipitation over the southern and less precipitation over the northeastern part of South Africa in the future [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Downward wave coupling (DWC) is an important process that characterizes the dynamical coupling between the stratosphere and troposphere via planetary wave reflection. A recent modeling study has indicated that natural forcing factors, including sea surface temperature (SST) variability and the quasi-biennial oscillation (QBO), influenceDWCand the associated surface impact in the Northern Hemisphere (NH). In light of this, the authors further investigate how DWC in the NH is affected by anthropogenic forcings, using a fully coupled chemistry--climate model CESM1(WACCM). The results indicate that the occurrence of DWC is significantly suppressed in the future, starting later in the seasonal cycle, with more events concentrated in late winter (February and March). The future decrease in DWC events is associated with enhanced wave absorption in the stratosphere due to increased greenhouse gases (GHGs), which is manifest as more absorbing types of stratospheric sudden warmings (SSWs) in early winter. This early winter condition leads to a delay in the development of the upper-stratospheric reflecting surface, resulting in a shift in the seasonal cycle of DWC toward late winter in the future. The tropospheric responses to DWC events in the future exhibit different spatial patterns, compared to those of the past. In the North Atlantic sector, DWC-induced circulation changes are characterized by a poleward shift and an eastward extension of the tropospheric jet, while in the North Pacific sector, the circulation changes are characterized by a weakening of the tropospheric jet. These responses are consistentwith a change in the pattern ofDWC-induced synoptic-scale eddy--mean flow interaction in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is well established that variable wintertime planetary wave forcing in the stratosphere controls the variability of Arctic stratospheric ozone through changes in the strength of the polar vortex and the residual circulation. While previous studies focused on the variations in upward wave flux entering the lower stratosphere, here the impact of downward planetary wave reflection on ozone is investigated for the first time. Utilizing the MERRA2 reanalysis and a fully coupled chemistry-climate simulation with the Community Earth System Model (CESM1(WACCM)) of the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), we find two downward wave reflection effects on ozone: (1) the direct effect in which the residual circulation is weakened during winter, reducing the typical increase of ozone due to upward planetary wave events and (2) the indirect effect in which the modification of polar temperature during winter affects the amount of ozone destruction in spring. Winter seasons dominated by downward wave reflection events (i.e., reflective winters) are characterized by lower Arctic ozone concentration, while seasons dominated by increased upward wave events (i.e., absorptive winters) are characterized by relatively higher ozone concentration. This behavior is consistent with the cumulative effects of downward and upward planetary wave events on polar stratospheric ozone via the residual circulation and the polar temperature in winter. The results establish a new perspective on dynamical processes controlling stratospheric ozone variability in the Arctic by highlighting the key role of wave reflection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Downward wave coupling occurs when an upward-propagating planetary wave from the troposphere decelerates the flow in the upper stratosphere and forms a downward reflecting surface that redirects waves back to the troposphere. To test this mechanism and potential factors influencing the downward wave coupling, three 145-yr sensitivity simulations with NCAR's Community Earth System Model [CESM1(WACCM)], a state-of-the-art high-top chemistry-climate model, are analyzed. The results show that the quasi-biennial oscillation (QBO) and SST variability significantly impact downward wave coupling. Without the QBO, the occurrence of downward wave coupling is significantly suppressed. In contrast, stronger and more persistent downward wave coupling occurs when SST variability is excluded. The above influence on the occurrence of downward wave coupling is mostly due to a direct influence of the QBO and SST variability on stratospheric planetary wave source and propagation. The strengths of the tropospheric circulation and surface responses to a given downward wave coupling event, however, behave differently. The surface anomaly is significantly weaker (stronger) in the experiment with fixed SSTs (without QBO), even though the statistical signal of downward wave coupling is strongest (weakest) in this experiment. This apparent mismatch is explained by the differences in the strength of the synoptic-scale eddy-mean flow feedback and the possible contribution of SST anomalies in the North Atlantic during the downward wave coupling event. The weaker synoptic-scale eddy-mean flow feedback and the absence of the positive NAO-related SST-tripole pattern in the fixed SST experiment are consistent with a weaker tropospheric response to downward wave coupling. The results highlight the importance of synoptic-scale eddies in setting the tropospheric response to downward wave coupling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]