Comparison of Precipitation Observed over the Continental United States to That Simulated by a Climate ModelSource: Journal of Climate:;1996:;volume( 009 ):;issue: 009::page 2233DOI: 10.1175/1520-0442(1996)009<2233:COPOOT>2.0.CO;2Publisher: American Meteorological Society
Abstract: This study compares monthly average frequency, intensity, and amount of hourly precipitation simulated by National Center for Atmospheric Research Community Climate Model version 2/Biosphere-Atmosphere Transfer Scheme to the smoothed estimates of these observed locally over the continental United States. The observed monthly intensifies vary from less than 1 to 5 mm h?1, with lowest values in the winter in northern midcontinent and highest around the Gulf Coast in summer. Model intensifies are on the average 3-4 times less when drizzle is excluded and an order of magnitude less when drizzle is included. As might be anticipated, relative frequencies are much too high and intensifies much too low in the model fields, compared to those observed. The spatial pattern of these quantities and the total precipitation are more realistic. The study also compares extreme events and diurnal and seasonal variations and finds that, in general, the simulated precipitation has larger spatial variability, larger diurnal variation, and longer maximum continuous wet and dry periods than those observed. These discrepancies are largely due to the different nature of model (area averaged) precipitation and observed (local) precipitation. Therefore, the use of GCM output to directly represent local values of intensifies and frequencies may lead to large errors in the coupling of the land surface to the atmosphere above it.
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contributor author | Chen, Mingxuan | |
contributor author | Dickinson, Robert E. | |
contributor author | Zeng, Xubin | |
contributor author | Hahmann, Andrea N. | |
date accessioned | 2017-06-09T15:31:47Z | |
date available | 2017-06-09T15:31:47Z | |
date copyright | 1996/09/01 | |
date issued | 1996 | |
identifier issn | 0894-8755 | |
identifier other | ams-4620.pdf | |
identifier uri | http://onlinelibrary.yabesh.ir/handle/yetl/4185290 | |
description abstract | This study compares monthly average frequency, intensity, and amount of hourly precipitation simulated by National Center for Atmospheric Research Community Climate Model version 2/Biosphere-Atmosphere Transfer Scheme to the smoothed estimates of these observed locally over the continental United States. The observed monthly intensifies vary from less than 1 to 5 mm h?1, with lowest values in the winter in northern midcontinent and highest around the Gulf Coast in summer. Model intensifies are on the average 3-4 times less when drizzle is excluded and an order of magnitude less when drizzle is included. As might be anticipated, relative frequencies are much too high and intensifies much too low in the model fields, compared to those observed. The spatial pattern of these quantities and the total precipitation are more realistic. The study also compares extreme events and diurnal and seasonal variations and finds that, in general, the simulated precipitation has larger spatial variability, larger diurnal variation, and longer maximum continuous wet and dry periods than those observed. These discrepancies are largely due to the different nature of model (area averaged) precipitation and observed (local) precipitation. Therefore, the use of GCM output to directly represent local values of intensifies and frequencies may lead to large errors in the coupling of the land surface to the atmosphere above it. | |
publisher | American Meteorological Society | |
title | Comparison of Precipitation Observed over the Continental United States to That Simulated by a Climate Model | |
type | Journal Paper | |
journal volume | 9 | |
journal issue | 9 | |
journal title | Journal of Climate | |
identifier doi | 10.1175/1520-0442(1996)009<2233:COPOOT>2.0.CO;2 | |
journal fristpage | 2233 | |
journal lastpage | 2249 | |
tree | Journal of Climate:;1996:;volume( 009 ):;issue: 009 | |
contenttype | Fulltext |