A very high resolution general circulation model simulation of the global circulation in austral winter
Journal Article
·
· Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences
- Los Alamos National Lab., NM (United States)
- Princeton Univ., NJ (United States)
This paper discusses a simulation obtained with the Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory {open_quotes}SKYHI{close_quotes} troposphere-stratosphere-mesosphere general circulation model run at very high horizontal resolution ({approximately}60-km grid spacing) and without any parameterization of subgrid-scale gravity wave drag. The results are for a period around the austral winter solstice, and the emphasis is on the simulated Southern Hemisphere (SH) winter circulation. Comparisons are made with results obtained from lower horizontal resolutions versions of the same model. The focus in this paper is on two particularly striking features of the high-resolution simulation; the extratropical surface winds and the winter polar middle atmospheric vortex. In the extratropical SH, the simulated surface westerlies and meridional surface pressure gradients in the high-resolution model are considerably stronger than observed and are stronger than those simulated at lower horizontal resolution. In the middle atmosphere, the high-resolution model produces a simulation of the zonal mean winter polar vortex that is considerably improved over that found with lower resolution models (although it is still significantly affected by the usual cold pole bias). Neither the improvement of the middle atmospheric polar vortex simulation nor the deterioration of the simulating of surface winds with increased model resolution shows a clear convergence, even at the {approximately}60-km grid spacing employed here. 29 refs., 6 figs.
- OSTI ID:
- 535198
- Journal Information:
- Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences, Journal Name: Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences Journal Issue: 8 Vol. 54; ISSN 0022-4928; ISSN JAHSAK
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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