The atmospheric hydrologic cycle over the Arctic Basin from reanalyses. Part I: comparison with observations and previous studies

• Main Authors: Richard I. Cullather, David, H. Bromwich, Mark C. Serreze
• Other Authors: The Pennsylvania State University CiteSeerX Archives
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: 2000
• Subjects: Arctic; North Pole; Arctic Basin
• Online Access: http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.670.5270; http://polarmet.osu.edu/PMG_publications/cullather_bromwich_jc_2000.pdf

The atmospheric moisture budget is evaluated for the region 708N to the North Pole using reanalysis datasets of the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF; ERA: ECMWF Re-Analysis) and the collaborative effort of the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) and the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR). For the forecast fields of the reanalyses, the ERA annually averaged P 2 E (precipitation minus evaporation/sublimation) field reproduces the major features of the basin perimeter as they are known, while the NCEP–NCAR reanalysis forecast fields contain a spurious wave pattern in both P and E. Comparisons between gauge data from Soviet drift camp stations and forecast P values of the reanalyses show reasonable agreement given the difficulties (i.e., gauge accuracy, translating location). When averaged for 708– 908N, the ERA and NCEP–NCAR forecast P 2 E are similar in the annual cycle. Average reanalysis forecast values of E for the north polar cap are found to be 40 % or more too large based on comparisons using surface latent heat flux climatologies. Differences between a synthesized average moisture flux across 708N from rawinsonde data of the Historical Arctic Rawinsonde Archive (HARA) and the reanalysis data occur in the presence of rawinsonde network problems. It is concluded that critical deficiencies exist in the rawinsonde depiction of the summertime meridional