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1.
This paper examines the performances of various cumulus convective parameterization schemes in the tropical atmosphere using an aqua-planet atmospheric General Circulation Model forced by zonally symmetric but latitudinally varying sea surface temperature (SST) and solar angle. The intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ) is represented by intense precipitation. The assigned Control experiment with a specific SST distribution, as designated by the Aqua Planet Experiment, yields a single ITCZ when Zhang’s scheme or Manabe’s scheme is employed, whereas a double ITCZ occurs when Tiedtke’s scheme is used. The key to the occurrence of a double ITCZ is latitudinal variation in evaporation within the boundary layer. Such variation is induced mainly by latitudinal variation in the zonal wind speed, with the existence of a calm belt at the equator and a maximum wind speed located off the equator, arising from the evaporation–wind feedback (EWF) mechanism. The latitudinal distribution of evaporation results in a decrease in the height of the lifting condensation level in areas off the equator and an increase at the equator. The occurrence of a single ITCZ in Zhang’s scheme is attributed to the use of a Convective Available Potential Energy criterion by which convection occurs more readily at the equator. As a result, a precipitation maximum is maintained at the equator via a prevailing Conditional Instability of the Second Kind mechanism.  相似文献   

2.
The sensitivity of precipitation was studied by conducting control aqua-planet experiments(APEs) with a model to determine atmospheric general circulation.The model includes two versions: that with a spectral dynamical core(SAMIL) and that with a finite-volume dynamical core(FAMIL).Three factors were investigated including dynamical core,time-step length,and horizontal resolution.Numerical results show that the dynamical core significantly affects the structure of zonal averaged precipitation.FAMIL exhibited an equatorial precipitation belt with a single narrow peak,and SAMIL showed a broader belt with double peaks.Moreover,the time step of the model physics is shown to affect the zonal-averaged tropical convective precipitation ratio such that a longer time step leads to more production and consumption of convective available potential energy and convection initiated away from the equator,which corresponds to equatorial double peaks of precipitation.Further,precipitation is determined to be sensitive to horizontal resolution such that higher horizontal resolution allows for more small-scale kinetic energy to be resolved and leads to a broader probability distribution of low-level vertical velocity.This process results in heavier rainfall and convective precipitation extremes in the tropics.Abstract The sensitivity of precipitation was studied by conducting control aqua-planet experiments(APEs)with a model to determine atmospheric general circulation.The model includes two versions:that with a spectral dynamical core(SAMIL)and that with a finite-volume dynamical core(FAMIL).Three factors were investigated including dynamical core,time-step length,and horizontal resolution.Numerical results show that the dynamical core significantly affects the structure of zonal averaged precipitation.FAMIL exhibited an equatorial precipitation belt with a single narrow peak,and SAMIL showed a broader belt with double peaks.Moreover,the time step of the model physics is shown to affect the zonal-averaged tropical convective precipitation ratio such that a longer time step leads to more production and consumption of convective available potential energy and convection initiated away from the equator,which corresponds to equatorial double peaks of precipitation.Further,precipitation is determined to be sensitive to horizontal resolution such that higher horizontal resolution allows for more small-scale kinetic energy to be resolved and leads to a broader probability distribution of low-level vertical velocity.This process results in heavier rainfall and convective precipitation extremes in the tropics.  相似文献   

3.
It has been known for more than a decade that an aqua-planet model with a globally- and temporally-uniform sea surface temperature and solar isolation angle can generate intertropical convergence zones (ITCZ). Employing such a model, previous studies have shown that one of several means can be used to change between a single ITCZ over the equator and a double ITCZ straddling the equator. These means include switching to a different cumulus parametrization scheme, making changes within the cumulus parametrization scheme, and changing other aspects of the model such as horizontal resolution. Here, an interpretation of these findings is offered. In an aqua-planet model with globally and temporally uniform sea surface temperature and solar isolation angle, the latitudinal location of an ITCZ is the latitude where a balance exists between two types of attraction, both resulting from the Earths rotation. The first attraction pulls the ITCZ towards the equator and is not sensitive to changes in model design. It is directly related to the Coriolis parameter, which provides stability to the atmosphere. The second ssattraction pulls the ITCZ poleward and is sensitive to changes in model design. It is related to the convective circulation, modified by the Coriolis force. A balance between the two types of attraction is reached either at the equator or more than 10° north and south of the equator, depending on the shape and magnitude of the attractions. A balance at the equator yields a single ITCZ over the equator, whereas a balance north and south of the equator yields a double ITCZ straddling the equator.  相似文献   

4.
The influence of convective adjustment time scale (??) in simulating the tropical transient activity is examined using the NCAR-Community Atmosphere Model (CAM). In the default configuration of the model, the prescribed value of ??, a characteristic time scale with which convective available potential energy (CAPE) is removed at an exponential rate by convection, is assumed to be 1?h. However, some recent observational findings suggest that it is larger by around one order of magnitude, and subsequent modeling studies showed its impact on mean climate and suggest a value of 8?h. To see if alteration of this time scale could affect the transient features of climate, numerical experiments are conducted in aqua-planet and real-planet frameworks. The analysis includes the tropical intraseasonal variability (ISV), convectively coupled equatorial waves (CCEW), diurnal and sub-diurnal variability of precipitation, and intensity and frequency of rainfall. Two sets of simulations are conducted: one with a time scale of 1?h (CTRL) and another with 8?h (EXPT). EXPT produces more reasonable ISV, with prominent, coherent, and organized eastward propagation. The active phases of the ISV constitute hierarchical substructures embedded within them, which are absent in CTRL. The Kelvin waves become slow, Madden?CJulian oscillation (MJO) become energetic, n?=?1 equatorial Rossby (ER) and n?=?0 eastward inertio-gravity (EIG) waves become prominent, with the increase of ??. On the contrary, the mixed Rossby-gravity (MRG) waves at higher wavenumber regimes become weak. The amplitude of diurnal variability decreases, but the phase remains largely unchanged. At sub-diurnal scales, the variability of precipitation increases. In CTRL, precipitation always occurs in the tropics with light or moderate intensity, which becomes intermittent when ?? is increased to 8?h.  相似文献   

5.
Reproducibility of precipitation distribution over the tropical oceans for the recent dataset of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project phase 5 (CMIP5) is investigated and compared to CMIP3. The Taylor skill score for the reproducibility of the CMIP5 multi-model ensemble mean (0.64) is slightly higher than that of CMIP3 (0.60), but the difference is not statistically significant. Still, there is some evidences that the double intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ) bias is mitigated from CMIP3 to CMIP5, whereas the cold tongue bias remains similar. An inter-model empirical orthogonal function analysis shows that these two biases are closely related to the dominant inter-model discrepancies of precipitation patterns. The two biases are attributed to two factors, respectively. In the CMIP5 models with the prominent double ITCZ, the deep convection is not sensitive enough to environmental air humidity at the lower-mid troposphere, as is in CMIP3. Thus, the deep convection is not suppressed even over the dry subsidence region of the southeastern Pacific, forming the double ITCZ bias. Conversely, models with the severe cold tongue bias have lower ocean model resolution with too strong equatorial trades. Therefore, proper representation of the sensitivity of deep convection to humidity and higher resolution of the ocean models with better equatorial trades are important for reducing the double ITCZ and the cold tongue biases.  相似文献   

6.
A statistically-based low-level cloud parameterization scheme is introduced, modified, and applied in the Flexible coupled General Circulation Model (FGCM-0). It is found that the low-level cloud scheme makes improved simulations of low-level cloud fractions and net surface shortwave radiation fluxes in the subtropical eastern oceans off western coasts in the model. Accompanying the improvement in the net surface shortwave radiation fluxes, the simulated distribution of SSTs is more reasonably asymmetrical about the equator in the tropical eastern Pacific, which suppresses, to some extent, the development of the double ITCZ in the model. Warm SST biases in the ITCZ north of the equator are more realistically reduced, too. But the equatorial cold tongue is strengthened and extends further westward, which reduces the precipitation rate in the western equatorial Pacific but increases it in the ITCZ north of the equator in the far eastern Pacific. It is demonstrated that the low-level cloud-radiation feedback would enhance the cooperative feedback between the equatorial cold tongue and the ITCZ. Based on surface layer heat budget analyses, it is demonstrated that the reduction of SSTs is attributed to both the thermodynamic cooling process modified by the increase of cloud fractions and the oceanic dynamical cooling processes associated with the strengthened surface wind in the eastern equatorial Pacific, but it is mainly attributed to oceanic dynamical cooling processes associated with the strengthening of surface wind in the central and western equatorial Pacific.  相似文献   

7.
A cloud-resolving model is configured to span the full meridional extent of the tropical atmosphere and have sufficient zonal extent to permit the representation of tropical cloud super-clusters. This is made computationally feasible by the use of anisotropic horizontal grids where one horizontal coordinate direction has over an order of magnitude finer resolution than the other direction. Typically, the meridional direction is chosen to have the coarser resolution (40 km grid spacing) and the zonal direction has enough resolution to ‘permit’ crude convective squall line ascent (1 km grid spacing). The aim was to run in cloud-resolving model (CRM) mode yet still have sufficient meridional resolution and extent to capture the equatorial trapped waves and the Hadley circulation. The large-scale circulation is driven by imposed uniform tropospheric cooling in conjunction with a fixed sea surface temperature distribution. At quasi-equilibrium the flow is characterized by sub-tropical jetstreams, tropical squall line systems that form eastward-propagating super-clusters, tropical depressions and even hurricanes.Two scientific issues are briefly addressed by the simulations: what forces the Hadley circulation and the nature of stratospheric waves appearing in the simulation. It is found that the presence of a meridional sea surface temperature gradient is not sufficient on its own to force a realistic Hadley circulation even though convection communicates the underlying temperature gradient to the atmosphere. It is shown in a simulation that accounts for the observed time and zonal-mean momentum forcing effect of large-scale eddies (originating in middle latitudes) that the heaviest precipitation is concentrated near the equator in association with moisture flux convergence driven by the Trade winds.A spectral analysis of the stratospheric waves found on the equator using the dispersion relation for equatorially-trapped waves provides strong evidence for the existence of a domain-scale Kelvin wave together with eastward and westward propagating inertia-gravity waves. The eastward-propagating stratospheric waves appear to be part of a convectively coupled wave system travelling at about 15 ms−1.  相似文献   

8.
Coupled general circulation model (GCM) simulations participating in the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 (CMIP5) are analyzed with respect to their performance in the equatorial Atlantic. In terms of the mean state, 29 out of 33 models examined continue to suffer from serious biases including an annual mean zonal equatorial SST gradient whose sign is opposite to observations. Westerly surface wind biases in boreal spring play an important role in the reversed SST gradient by deepening the thermocline in the eastern equatorial Atlantic and thus reducing upwelling efficiency and SST cooling in the following months. Both magnitude and seasonal evolution of the biases are very similar to what was found previously for CMIP3 models, indicating that improvements have only been modest. The weaker than observed equatorial easterlies are also simulated by atmospheric GCMs forced with observed SST. They are related to both continental convection and the latitudinal position of the intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ). Particularly the latter has a strong influence on equatorial zonal winds in both the seasonal cycle and interannual variability. The dependence of equatorial easterlies on ITCZ latitude shows a marked asymmetry. From the equator to 15°N, the equatorial easterlies intensify approximately linearly with ITCZ latitude. When the ITCZ is south of the equator, on the other hand, the equatorial easterlies are uniformly weak. Despite serious mean state biases, several models are able to capture some aspects of the equatorial mode of interannual SST variability, including amplitude, pattern, phase locking to boreal summer, and duration of events. The latitudinal position of the boreal spring ITCZ, through its influence on equatorial surface winds, appears to play an important role in initiating warm events.  相似文献   

9.
A cloud-resolving model is configured to span the full meridional extent of the tropical atmosphere and have sufficient zonal extent to permit the representation of tropical cloud super-clusters. This is made computationally feasible by the use of anisotropic horizontal grids where one horizontal coordinate direction has over an order of magnitude finer resolution than the other direction. Typically, the meridional direction is chosen to have the coarser resolution (40 km grid spacing) and the zonal direction has enough resolution to ‘permit’ crude convective squall line ascent (1 km grid spacing). The aim was to run in cloud-resolving model (CRM) mode yet still have sufficient meridional resolution and extent to capture the equatorial trapped waves and the Hadley circulation. The large-scale circulation is driven by imposed uniform tropospheric cooling in conjunction with a fixed sea surface temperature distribution. At quasi-equilibrium the flow is characterized by sub-tropical jetstreams, tropical squall line systems that form eastward-propagating super-clusters, tropical depressions and even hurricanes.Two scientific issues are briefly addressed by the simulations: what forces the Hadley circulation and the nature of stratospheric waves appearing in the simulation. It is found that the presence of a meridional sea surface temperature gradient is not sufficient on its own to force a realistic Hadley circulation even though convection communicates the underlying temperature gradient to the atmosphere. It is shown in a simulation that accounts for the observed time and zonal-mean momentum forcing effect of large-scale eddies (originating in middle latitudes) that the heaviest precipitation is concentrated near the equator in association with moisture flux convergence driven by the Trade winds.A spectral analysis of the stratospheric waves found on the equator using the dispersion relation for equatorially-trapped waves provides strong evidence for the existence of a domain-scale Kelvin wave together with eastward and westward propagating inertia-gravity waves. The eastward-propagating stratospheric waves appear to be part of a convectively coupled wave system travelling at about 15 ms−1.  相似文献   

10.
Precipitation changes over the Indo-Pacific during El Niño events are studied using an Atmospheric General Circulation Model forced with sea-surface temperature (SST) anomalies and changes in atmospheric CO2 concentrations. Linear increases in the amplitude of the El Niño SST anomaly pattern trigger nonlinear changes in precipitation amounts, resulting in shifts in the location and orientation of the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) and the South Pacific Convergence Zone (SPCZ). In particular, the maximum precipitation anomaly along the ITCZ and SPCZ shifts eastwards, the ITCZ shifts south towards the equator, and the SPCZ becomes more zonal. Precipitation in the equatorial Pacific also increases nonlinearly. The effect of increasing CO2 levels and warming SSTs is also investigated. Global warming generally enhances the tropical Pacific precipitation response to El Niño. The precipitation response to El Niño is found to be dominated by changes in the atmospheric mean circulation dynamics, whereas the response to global warming is a balance between dynamic and thermodynamic changes. While the dependence of projected climate change impacts on seasonal variability is well-established, this study reveals that the impact of global warming on Pacific precipitation also depends strongly on the magnitude of the El Niño event. The magnitude and structure of the precipitation changes are also sensitive to the spatial structure of the global warming SST pattern.  相似文献   

11.
A global non-hydrostatic atmospheric model, i.e., GRAPES_YY (Global/Regional Assimilation and Prediction System on the Yin–Yang grid), with a semi-implicit semi-Lagrangian (SISL) dynamical core developed on the Yin–Yang grid was coupled with the physical parameterization package of the operational version of GRAPES. A 3.5-yr integration was carried out on an aqua planet to assess the numerical performance of this non-hydrostatic model relative to other models. Specific aspects of precipitation and general circulation under two different sea surface temperature (SST) conditions (CONTROL and FLAT) were analyzed. The CONTROL SST peaked at the equator. The FLAT SST had its maximum gradient at about 20° latitude, giving a broad equatorial SST maximum in the tropics and flat profile approaching the equator. The tropical precipitation showed different propagation features in the CONTROL and FLAT simulations. The CONTROL showed tropical precipitation bands moving eastward with some envelopes of westward convective-scale disturbance. Less organized westward-propagating rainfall cells and bands were seen in the FLAT and the propagation of the tropical wave varied with the SST gradient. The Inter Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ), Hadley cell, and westerly jet core were weaker and more poleward as the SST profile flattened from the CONTROL to FLAT. The climatological structures simulated by GRAPES_YY, such as the distribution of precipitation and the large-scale circulation, fell within the bounds from other models. The stronger ITCZ precipitation, accompanied with stronger Hadley cells and convective heating in the CONTROL simulation, may be summed up as a result of stronger parameterized convection and the non-hydrostatic effects in GRAPES_YY. In addition, mechanism of the zonal mean circulation maintaining is analyzed for the different SST patterns referring the transient eddy flux.  相似文献   

12.
Many coupled ocean–atmosphere general circulation models (GCMs) suffer serious biases in the tropical Atlantic including a southward shift of the intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ) in the annual mean, a westerly bias in equatorial surface winds, and a failure to reproduce the eastern equatorial cold tongue in boreal summer. The present study examines an ensemble of coupled GCMs and their uncoupled atmospheric component to identify common sources of error. It is found that the westerly wind bias also exists in the atmospheric GCMs forced with observed sea surface temperature, but only in boreal spring. During this time sea-level pressure is anomalously high (low) in the western (eastern) equatorial Atlantic, which appears to be related to deficient (excessive) precipitation over tropical South America (Africa). In coupled simulations, this westerly bias leads to a deepening of the thermocline in the east, which prevents the equatorial cold tongue from developing in boreal summer. Thus reducing atmospheric model errors during boreal spring may lead to improved coupled simulations of tropical Atlantic climate.  相似文献   

13.
This study examines wave disturbances on submonthly (6–30-day) timescales over the tropical Indian Ocean during Southern Hemisphere summer using Japanese Reanalysis (JRA25-JCDAS) products and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration outgoing longwave radiation data. The analysis period is December–February for the 29 years from 1979/1980 through 2007/2008. An extended empirical orthogonal function (EEOF) analysis of daily 850-hPa meridional wind anomalies reveals a well-organized wave-train pattern as a dominant mode of variability over the tropical Indian Ocean. Daily lagged composite analyses for various atmospheric variables based on the EEOF result show the structure and evolution of a wave train consisting of meridionally elongated troughs and ridges along the Indian Ocean Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ). The wave train is oriented in a northeast–southwest direction from Sumatra toward Madagascar. The waves have zonal wavelengths of about 3,000–5,000 km and exhibit westward and southwestward phase propagation. Individual troughs and ridges as part of the wave train sequentially travel westward and southwestward from the west of Sumatra into Madagascar. Meanwhile, eastward and northeastward amplification of the wave train occurs associated with the successive growth of new troughs and ridges over the equatorial eastern Indian Ocean. This could be induced by eastward and northeastward wave energy dispersion from the southwestern to eastern Indian Ocean along the mean monsoon westerly flow. In addition, the waves modulate the ITCZ convection. Correlation statistics show the average behavior of the wave disturbances over the tropical Indian Ocean. These statistics and other diagnostic measures are used to characterize the waves obtained from the composite analysis. The waves appear to be connected to the monsoon westerly flow. The waves tend to propagate through a band of the large meridional gradient of absolute vorticity produced by the mean monsoon westerly flow. This suggests that the monsoon westerly flow provides favorable background conditions for the propagation and maintenance of the waves and acts as a waveguide over the tropical Indian Ocean. The horizontal structure of the wave train may be interpreted as that of a mixture of equatorial Rossby waves and mixed Rossby-gravity wavelike gyres.  相似文献   

14.
The simulation of the mean seasonal cycle of sea surface temperature (SST) remains a challenge for coupled ocean–atmosphere general circulation models (OAGCMs). Here we investigate how the numerical representation of clouds and convection affects the simulation of the seasonal variations of tropical SST. For this purpose, we compare simulations performed with two versions of the same OAGCM differing only by their convection and cloud schemes. Most of the atmospheric temperature and precipitation differences between the two simulations reflect differences found in atmosphere-alone simulations. They affect the ocean interior down to 1,000 m. Substantial differences are found between the two coupled simulations in the seasonal march of the Intertropical Convergence Zone in the eastern part of the Pacific and Atlantic basins, where the equatorial upwelling develops. The results confirm that the distribution of atmospheric convection between ocean and land during the American and African boreal summer monsoons plays a key role in maintaining a cross equatorial flow and a strong windstress along the equator, and thereby the equatorial upwelling. Feedbacks between convection, large-scale circulation, SST and clouds are highlighted from the differences between the two simulations. In one case, these feedbacks maintain the ITCZ in a quite realistic position, whereas in the other case the ITCZ is located too far south close to the equator.  相似文献   

15.
ITCZ的季节内振荡及其与热带气旋发生阶段性的关系   总被引：4，自引：0，他引：4  
刘舸  孙淑清  张庆云 《大气科学》2009,33(4):879-889
利用中国气象局提供的热带气旋资料和NCEP/NCAR再分析等资料, 研究了热带辐合带(Intertropical Convergence Zone, 简称ITCZ)上对流强度的季节内振荡特征及其与热带气旋生成频数阶段性变化的关系, 并进一步研究了它与越赤道气流、 赤道西风和ITCZ北侧偏东风季节内振荡的关系。研究发现: (1) ITCZ对流强度的变化有明显的30～60 d振荡, 西太平洋 (5°N～20°N, 120°E～150°E) 范围内的热带气旋约有2/3发生在30～60 d振荡的活跃位相。(2) ITCZ季节内振荡在热带地区表现为向东传播的特征, 而在副热带地区 (25°N～35°N) 表现出清晰的西传特征。在ITCZ季节内振荡较强年, 振荡在由赤道传播至15°N左右时, 与北面向南传播的振荡在该纬度附近汇合, 对流强度增强, 使热带气旋在此期间频繁发生。而在弱年, 振荡由赤道一直向北传播至30°N附近, 15°N附近的ITCZ对流较弱, 热带气旋生成偏少。(3) 赤道西风、105°E～110°E越赤道气流和ITCZ北侧的偏东风气流本身也存在30～60 d振荡。这三支气流的30～60 d振荡与ITCZ的季节内强弱变化密切相关。然而, 相比之下偏东风气流的30～60 d振荡和ITCZ对流强弱的30～60 d振荡对应关系略差。  相似文献   

16.
This study evaluates the seasonal cycle of the activity of convectively coupled equatorial waves(CCEWs),including mixed Rossby-gravity(MRG) and tropical depression-type(TD-type) waves,based on the twentieth century experiments of 18 global climate models(GCMs) from the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project phase 3(CMIP3).The ensemble result of the 18 GCMs shows that the observed seasonal cycle of MRG and TD-type wave activity cannot be well reproduced.The seasonal transition of wave activity from the southern hemisphere to the northern hemisphere is delayed from April in the observations to May in the simulations,indicating that the simulated active season of tropical waves in the northern hemisphere is delayed and shortened.This delayed seasonal transition of tropical wave activity is associated with a delayed seasonal transition of simulated mean precipitation.The mean precipitation in April and May shows a double-ITCZ problem,and the horizontal resolution is important to the delayed seasonal transition of wave activity.Because of the coincident seasonal cycle of MRG and TD-type wave activity and tropical cyclone(TC) geneses,the delayed seasonal transition of wave activity may imply a similar problem of TC genesis in the GCMs,namely,a delayed and shortened TC season in the northern hemisphere.  相似文献   

17.
The results of two regional atmospheric model simulations are compared to assess the influence of the eastern tropical Atlantic sea-surface temperature maximum on local precipitation, transient easterly waves and the West African summer monsoon. Both model simulations were initialized with reanalysis 2 data (US National Center for Environmental Prediction and Department of Energy) on 15 May 2006 and extended through 6 October 2006, forced by synchronous reanalysis 2 lateral boundary conditions introduced four times daily. One simulation uses 2006 reanalysis 2 sea-surface temperatures, also updated four times daily, while the second simulation considers ocean forcing absent the sea-surface temperature maximum, achieved here by subtracting 3°K at every ocean grid point between 0° and 15°N during the entire simulation. The simulation with 2006 sea-surface temperature forcing produces a realistic distribution of June?CSeptember mean precipitation and realistic westward propagating swaths of maximum rainfall, based on validation against Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) estimates. The simulation without the sea-surface temperature maximum produces only 57% of the control June?CSeptember total precipitation over the eastern tropical Atlantic and about 83% of the Sahel precipitation. The simulation with warmer ocean temperatures generates generally stronger circulation, which in turn enhances precipitation by increasing moisture convergence. Some local precipitation enhancement is also attributed to lower vertical thermal stability above the warm water. The study shows that the eastern tropical Atlantic sea-surface temperature maximum enhances the strength of transient easterly waves and broadens the spatial extent of associated precipitation. However, large-scale circulation and its interaction with the African continent, and not sea-surface temperatures, control the timing and trajectories of the waves.  相似文献   

18.
 The mean state of the tropical atmosphere is important as the nature of the coupling between the ocean and the atmosphere depends nonlinearly on the basic state of the coupled system. The simulation of the annual cycle of the tropical surface wind stress by 17 atmospheric general circulation models (AGCMs) is examined and intercompared. The models considered were part of the Atmospheric Model Intercomparison Project (AMIP) and were integrated with observed sea surface temperature (SST) for the decade 1979–1988. Several measures have been devised to intercompare the performance of the 17 models on global tropical as well as regional scales. Within the limits of observational uncertainties, the models under examination simulate realistic tropical area-averaged zonal and meridional annual mean stresses. This is a noteworthy improvement over older generation low resolution models which were noted for their simulation of surface stresses considerably weaker than the observations. The models also simulate realistic magnitudes of the spatial distribution of the annual mean surface stress field and are seen to reproduce realistically its observed spatial pattern. Similar features are observed in the simulations of the annual variance field. The models perform well over almost all the tropical regions apart from a few. Of these, the simulations over Somali are interesting. Over this region, the models are seen to underestimate the annual mean zonal and meridional stresses. There is also wide variance between the different models in simulating these quantities. Large model-to-model variations were also seen in the simulations of the annual mean meridional stress field over equatorial Indian Ocean, south central Pacific, north east Pacific and equatorial eastern Pacific oceans. It is shown that the systematic errors in simulating the surface winds are related to the systematic errors in simulating the Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) in its location and intensity. Weaker than observed annual mean southwesterlies simulated by most models over Somali is due to weaker than observed southwesterlies during the Northern Hemisphere summer. This is related to the weaker than observed land precipitation simulated by most models during the Northern Hemisphere summer. The diversity in simulation of the surface wind over Somali and equatorial Indian ocean is related to the diversity of AGCMs in simulating the precipitation zones in these regions. Received: 2 August 1996 / Accepted: 7 February 1997  相似文献   

19.
The sensitivity of tropical Atlantic climate to upper ocean mixing is investigated using an ocean-only model and a coupled ocean–atmosphere model. The upper ocean thermal structure and associated atmospheric circulation prove to be strongly related to the strength of upper ocean mixing. Using the heat balance in the mixed layer it is shown that an excessively cold equatorial cold tongue can be attributed to entrainment flux at the base of the oceanic mixed layer, that is too large. Enhanced entrainment efficiency acts to deepen the mixed layer and causes strong reduction in the upper ocean divergence in the central equatorial Atlantic. As a result, the simulated sea surface temperature, thermocline structure, and upwelling velocities are close to the observed estimates. In the coupled model, the seasonal migration of the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) reduces when the entrainment efficiency in the oceanic mixed layer is enhanced. The precipitation rates decrease in the equatorial region and increase along 10°N, resulting in a more realistic Atlantic Marine ITCZ. The reduced meridional surface temperature gradient in the eastern tropical Atlantic prohibits the development of convective precipitation in the southeastern part of the tropical Atlantic. Also, the simulation of tropical Atlantic variability as expressed in the meridional gradient mode and the eastern cold tongue mode improves when the entrainment efficiency is enhanced.  相似文献   

20.
The extra-tropical response to El Niño in a “low” horizontal resolution coupled climate model, typical of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change fourth assessment report simulations, is shown to have serious systematic errors. A high resolution configuration of the same model has a much improved response that is similar to observations. The errors in the low resolution model are traced to an incorrect representation of the atmospheric teleconnection mechanism that controls the extra-tropical sea surface temperatures (SSTs) during El Niño. This is due to an unrealistic atmospheric mean state, which changes the propagation characteristics of Rossby waves. These erroneous upper tropospheric circulation anomalies then induce erroneous surface circulation features over the North Pacific. The associated surface wind speed and direction errors create erroneous surface flux and upwelling anomalies which finally lead to the incorrect extra-tropical SST response to El Niño in the low resolution model. This highlights the sensitivity of the climate response to a single link in a chain of complex climatic processes. The correct representation of these processes in the high resolution model indicates the importance of horizontal resolution in resolving such processes.  相似文献   

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