Publication Date:
2017-10-17
Description:
Eight atmospheric reanalyses were compared against observed vertical profiles of
temperature, specific humidity and wind speed collected by two research aircraft in
February–March 2010 in the Antarctic Peninsula region. These data offered a rare
possibility to validate reanalyses against independent in situ data which have not been
assimilated into the reanalyses. The reanalyses had generally too moist profiles with too
low wind speeds, but otherwise the errors in the reanalyses had large spatial differences. On
the eastern side of the peninsula, the near-surface temperatures were largely overestimated.
None of the reanalyses outperformed the others in all variables, at all altitudes and on
both sides of the peninsula. Generally, NCEP-CFSR and MERRA had the smallest errors in
temperature profiles, JRA-55 had marginally the most accurate specific humidity profiles
andNCEP-CFSR had the best wind profiles. The reanalyses were coherent, although biased,
on the western side of the Antarctic Peninsula, but on the eastern side the spread was
large. All the reanalyses underestimated the variability between the individual profiles of
temperature and wind speed. The modern reanalyses with a sufficient spatial resolution
and an adequate data assimilation method outperformed the others, especially on the
eastern side.
Repository Name:
EPIC Alfred Wegener Institut
Type:
Article
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isiRev
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