Reproducible Forced Modes in AGCM Ensemble Integrations and Potential Predictability of Atmospheric Seasonal Variations in the Extratropics

Abstract

An approach to assess the potential predictability of the extratropical atmospheric seasonal variations in an ensemble of atmospheric general circulation model (AGCM) integrations has been proposed in this study by isolating reproducible forced modes and examining their contributions to the local ensemble mean. The analyses are based on the monthly mean output of an eight-member ensemble of 10-yr Atmospheric Model Intercomparison Project integrations with a T42L18 AGCM. An EOF decomposition applied to the ensemble anomalies shows that there exist some forced modes that are less affected by the internal process and thus appear to be highly reproducible. By reconstructing the ensemble in terms of the more reproducible forced modes and by developing a quantitative measure, the potential predictability index (PPI), which combines the reproducibility with the local variance contribution, the local ensemble mean over some selective geographic areas in the extratropics was shown to result primarily from reproducible forced modes rather than internal chaotic fluctuations. Over those regions the ensemble mean is potentially predictable. Extratropical potentially predictable regions are found mainly over North America and part of the Asian monsoon regions. Interestingly, the potential predictability over some preferred areas such as Indian monsoon areas and central Africa occasionally results primarily from non-ENSO-related boundary forcing, although ENSO forcing generally dominates over most of the preferred areas. The quantitative analysis of the extratropical potential predictability with PPI has shown that the preferred geographic areas have obvious seasonality. For the 850-hPa temperature, for example, potentially predictable regions during spring and winter are confined to Alaska, northwest Canada, and the southeast United States, the traditional PNA region, while during summer and fall they are favored over the middle part of North America. It has also been shown that the boreal summer season (June?August) possesses the largest potentially predictable area, which seems to indicate that it is a favored season for the extratropical potential predictability. On the contrary, boreal winter (December?February) appears to have a minimum area of extratropical potential predictability. The results have been compared with the more traditional statistical tests for potential predictability and with observations from the National Centers for Environmental Prediction reanalysis, which indicates that the PPI analysis proposed here is successful in revealing extratropical potential predictability determined by the external forcing.