A Fractional Approach to the Factor Separation Method

Abstract

A fractional study of the factor separation (FS) approach is performed. A fractional version of the FS method is discussed. The revised approach allows a determination of role of the acting physical mechanisms as well as that of potential nonlinearity of the modeling system responses. Application of the approach is demonstrated based on the simulations of an eastern Mediterranean weather development during 1?2 November 1994, performed with the Florida State University global spectral model. Thirteen model simulations with varying intensity of the turbulent surface fluxes in the runs were performed for the analysis. Two locations selected for sensitivity analysis of the model results represent the processes over the Red Sea and the Mediterranean Sea. It is shown that the variation of the FS results obtained in the experiments with different intensity of factors may be in some cases significant. The degree of variability of the FS results obtained in the experiments with varying intensity of the factors under the analysis provides useful information on sufficiency (or insufficiency) of available simulation results for an improved evaluation of the role of the acting factors in a meteorological process.