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Title: Model Resolution Sensitivity of the Simulation of North Atlantic Oscillation Teleconnections to Precipitation Extremes

Abstract

We evaluate a high-resolution (0.25°), four-member ensemble simulation of the global climate (1979–2005) with the U.S. Department of Energy's Energy Exascale Earth System Model v0.3—forced with observed ocean surface temperatures and sea ice extent—for its ability to represent the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) teleconnections to winter precipitation extremes over western Europe. As compared to the low-resolution model (1°), it simulates a stronger impact of NAO on daily precipitation extremes over the western slopes of mountain ranges over southwestern Norway, northwestern United Kingdom, and the Western Balkan states. Precipitation extremes and their linear relationship with NAO are quantified using the generalized extreme value distribution. NAO-dependent large-scale (stratiform) precipitation intensity strengthens in the high-resolution model on seasonal time scales and plays a dominant role during simulated daily precipitation extremes. Improvements in the high-resolution model over these varied-topography regions largely appear to be due to finer resolved scales of motion that amplify NAO-dependent seasonal vertical moisture fluxes and enhance stable condensation. However, the high-resolution model simulates a weaker than observed impact of NAO on extratropical cyclone activity and total precipitable water, generally underperforming the low-resolution model These effects possibly offset the impact of enhanced vertical moisture fluxes on NAO-dependent precipitation extremes in themore » high-resolution model in these regions. Over the southwestern Iberian peninsula, the high-resolution model underperforms the low-resolution model simulating weaker than observed impact of NAO on precipitation extremes. This appears to be due to the reduction in total precipitable water despite an increase in NAO-dependent extratropical activity there.« less

Authors:
ORCiD logo [1]; ORCiD logo [1]; ORCiD logo [1]; ORCiD logo [2]
  1. Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States). Computational Earth Sciences
  2. Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA); USDOE Office of Science (SC), Biological and Environmental Research (BER)
OSTI Identifier:
1497961
Alternate Identifier(s):
OSTI ID: 1560470
Report Number(s):
LLNL-JRNL-757301
Journal ID: ISSN 2169-897X; 945092
Grant/Contract Number:  
AC52-07NA27344; AC05-00OR22725, AC02-06CH11357; AC02-05CH11231; AC05-00OR22725
Resource Type:
Accepted Manuscript
Journal Name:
Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 123; Journal Issue: 20; Journal ID: ISSN 2169-897X
Publisher:
American Geophysical Union
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

Citation Formats

Mahajan, Salil, Evans, Katherine J., Branstetter, Marcia L., and Tang, Qi. Model Resolution Sensitivity of the Simulation of North Atlantic Oscillation Teleconnections to Precipitation Extremes. United States: N. p., 2018. Web. doi:10.1029/2018JD028594.
Mahajan, Salil, Evans, Katherine J., Branstetter, Marcia L., & Tang, Qi. Model Resolution Sensitivity of the Simulation of North Atlantic Oscillation Teleconnections to Precipitation Extremes. United States. https://doi.org/10.1029/2018JD028594
Mahajan, Salil, Evans, Katherine J., Branstetter, Marcia L., and Tang, Qi. Wed . "Model Resolution Sensitivity of the Simulation of North Atlantic Oscillation Teleconnections to Precipitation Extremes". United States. https://doi.org/10.1029/2018JD028594. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1497961.
@article{osti_1497961,
title = {Model Resolution Sensitivity of the Simulation of North Atlantic Oscillation Teleconnections to Precipitation Extremes},
author = {Mahajan, Salil and Evans, Katherine J. and Branstetter, Marcia L. and Tang, Qi},
abstractNote = {We evaluate a high-resolution (0.25°), four-member ensemble simulation of the global climate (1979–2005) with the U.S. Department of Energy's Energy Exascale Earth System Model v0.3—forced with observed ocean surface temperatures and sea ice extent—for its ability to represent the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) teleconnections to winter precipitation extremes over western Europe. As compared to the low-resolution model (1°), it simulates a stronger impact of NAO on daily precipitation extremes over the western slopes of mountain ranges over southwestern Norway, northwestern United Kingdom, and the Western Balkan states. Precipitation extremes and their linear relationship with NAO are quantified using the generalized extreme value distribution. NAO-dependent large-scale (stratiform) precipitation intensity strengthens in the high-resolution model on seasonal time scales and plays a dominant role during simulated daily precipitation extremes. Improvements in the high-resolution model over these varied-topography regions largely appear to be due to finer resolved scales of motion that amplify NAO-dependent seasonal vertical moisture fluxes and enhance stable condensation. However, the high-resolution model simulates a weaker than observed impact of NAO on extratropical cyclone activity and total precipitable water, generally underperforming the low-resolution model These effects possibly offset the impact of enhanced vertical moisture fluxes on NAO-dependent precipitation extremes in the high-resolution model in these regions. Over the southwestern Iberian peninsula, the high-resolution model underperforms the low-resolution model simulating weaker than observed impact of NAO on precipitation extremes. This appears to be due to the reduction in total precipitable water despite an increase in NAO-dependent extratropical activity there.},
doi = {10.1029/2018JD028594},
journal = {Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres},
number = 20,
volume = 123,
place = {United States},
year = {Wed Oct 24 00:00:00 EDT 2018},
month = {Wed Oct 24 00:00:00 EDT 2018}
}

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Figures / Tables:

Figure 1 Figure 1: Stationary precipitation extremes. Location parameter ($μ$) of the BASE GEV model of monthly daily maximum precipitation rate (mm/day) during the winter months of November-February for (a) CPC gauge-based analysis data, (b) low- and (c, d) high-resolution model simulation ensembles. The highresolution model data is bi-linearly interpolated to themore » CPC grid (0.5x0.5) in (c) and conservatively mapped to the low-resolution analysis grid (1.4x1.4) in (d). CPC gauge-based data only covers land regions. White color represents regions where the BASE GEV model is not a good fit for the winter monthly maximum values based on the KS goodness of fit test at the 5% significance level.« less

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