You need JavaScript to view this

Stratospheric climate and variability from a general circulation model and observations. Pt. 1. Results for the December-February season

Abstract

The climate and variability of the large scale stratospheric circulation during the Northern Hemisphere winter are studied comparing atmospheric statistics from a model simulation and from global observations. The simulation consisted of a 20-year integration performed with a newly developed comprehensive, low resolution model of the troposphere and stratosphere. The observations were compiled by Randel (1992) from a 12-year dataset of NMC-CAC global operational analyses of the troposphere and stratosphere. The December-February time average of the observed zonal mean circulation is found to be reasonably well captured by the model. In the stratosphere, the magnitude of the simulated and observed zonal winds compares well, although the simulated westerly winds do not show the equatorward tilt with height present in the observations. Associated with the polar confinement of the westerly winds is a relatively small symstematic cold bias in the polar lower stratosphere and upper troposphere. The quasi-stationary planetary waves are also well captured by the long term time averaged fields of the model. A considerable amount of monthly interannual variability is also found in the simulation. Both the NMC-CAC and model datasets show that in the stratosphere the interannual variability increases from December to January and February. The magnitude of  More>>
Publication Date:
Nov 01, 1994
Product Type:
Technical Report
Report Number:
ETDE-DE-36
Reference Number:
SCA: 540110; PA: DE-95:0G5640; EDB-95:053022; SN: 95001361443
Resource Relation:
Other Information: PBD: Nov 1994
Subject:
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES; CLIMATIC CHANGE; STRATOSPHERE; GENERAL CIRCULATION MODELS; SEASONAL VARIATIONS; NORTHERN HEMISPHERE; AMBIENT TEMPERATURE; ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE; 540110; BASIC STUDIES
OSTI ID:
10128661
Research Organizations:
Max-Planck-Institut fuer Meteorologie, Hamburg (Germany)
Country of Origin:
Germany
Language:
German
Other Identifying Numbers:
Other: ON: DE95756112; TRN: DE95G5640
Availability:
OSTI; NTIS (US Sales Only)
Submitting Site:
DE
Size:
47 p.
Announcement Date:
Jul 04, 2005

Citation Formats

Manzini, E, and Bengtsson, L. Stratospheric climate and variability from a general circulation model and observations. Pt. 1. Results for the December-February season. Germany: N. p., 1994. Web.
Manzini, E, & Bengtsson, L. Stratospheric climate and variability from a general circulation model and observations. Pt. 1. Results for the December-February season. Germany.
Manzini, E, and Bengtsson, L. 1994. "Stratospheric climate and variability from a general circulation model and observations. Pt. 1. Results for the December-February season." Germany.
@misc{etde_10128661,
title = {Stratospheric climate and variability from a general circulation model and observations. Pt. 1. Results for the December-February season}
author = {Manzini, E, and Bengtsson, L}
abstractNote = {The climate and variability of the large scale stratospheric circulation during the Northern Hemisphere winter are studied comparing atmospheric statistics from a model simulation and from global observations. The simulation consisted of a 20-year integration performed with a newly developed comprehensive, low resolution model of the troposphere and stratosphere. The observations were compiled by Randel (1992) from a 12-year dataset of NMC-CAC global operational analyses of the troposphere and stratosphere. The December-February time average of the observed zonal mean circulation is found to be reasonably well captured by the model. In the stratosphere, the magnitude of the simulated and observed zonal winds compares well, although the simulated westerly winds do not show the equatorward tilt with height present in the observations. Associated with the polar confinement of the westerly winds is a relatively small symstematic cold bias in the polar lower stratosphere and upper troposphere. The quasi-stationary planetary waves are also well captured by the long term time averaged fields of the model. A considerable amount of monthly interannual variability is also found in the simulation. Both the NMC-CAC and model datasets show that in the stratosphere the interannual variability increases from December to January and February. The magnitude of the simulated interannual variability compares well with that observed during January and February. In December, however, the interannual variability simulated by the model appears to be severely underestimated in the upper troposphere and, locally, in the lower stratosphere. (orig.)}
place = {Germany}
year = {1994}
month = {Nov}
}