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Representation of Extratropical Cyclones, Blocking Anticyclones, and Alpine Circulation Types in Multiple Reanalyses and Model Simulations
- Source :
- Rohrer, Marco; Brönnimann, Stefan; Martius, Olivia; Raible, Christoph; Wild, Martin; Compo, Gilbert P. (2018). Representation of Extratropical Cyclones, Blocking Anticyclones, and Alpine Circulation Types in Multiple Reanalyses and Model Simulations. Journal of Climate, 31(8), pp. 3009-3031. American Meteorological Society 10.1175/JCLI-D-17-0350.1
- Publication Year :
- 2018
- Publisher :
- American Meteorological Society, 2018.
-
Abstract
- Atmospheric circulation types, blockings, and cyclones are central features of the extratropical flow and key to understanding the climate system. This study intercompares the representation of these features in 10 reanalyses and in an ensemble of 30 climate model simulations between 1980 and 2005. Both modern, full-input reanalyses and century-long, surface-input reanalyses are examined. Modern full-input reanalyses agree well on key statistics of blockings, cyclones, and circulation types. However, the intensity and depth of cyclones vary among them. Reanalyses with higher horizontal resolution show higher cyclone center densities and more intense cyclones. For blockings, no strict relationship is found between frequency or intensity and horizontal resolution. Full-input reanalyses contain more intense blocking, compared to surface-input reanalyses. Circulation-type classifications over central Europe show that both versions of the Twentieth Century Reanalysis dataset contain more easterlies and fewer westerlies than any other reanalysis, owing to their high pressure bias over northeast Europe. The temporal correlation of annual circulation types over central Europe and blocking frequencies over the North Atlantic–European domain between reanalyses is high (around 0.8). The ensemble simulations capture the main characteristics of midlatitudinal atmospheric circulation. Circulation types of westerlies to northerlies over central Europe are overrepresented. There are too few blockings in the higher latitudes and an excess of cyclones in the midlatitudes. Other characteristics, such as blocking amplitude and cyclone intensity, are realistically represented, making the ensemble simulations a rich dataset to assess changes in climate variability.
- Subjects :
- Horizontal resolution
Atmospheric Science
010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences
530 Physics
Climate system
910 Geography & travel
010502 geochemistry & geophysics
01 natural sciences
Trade wind
Circulation (fluid dynamics)
Climatology
550 Earth sciences & geology
Extratropical cyclone
Cyclone
Climate model
Representation (mathematics)
Geology
0105 earth and related environmental sciences
Subjects
Details
- ISSN :
- 15200442 and 08948755
- Volume :
- 31
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Journal of Climate
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....200fd11647c1ae38f0f7465fd768daa8