Validation of ECMWF and NCEP-NCAR reanalysis data in Antarctica

• Published in: Advances in Atmospheric Sciences
• Other Authors: Yu, Lejiang (author), Zhang, Zhanhai (author), Zhou, Mingyu (author), Zhong, Shiyuan (author), Lenschow, Donald (author), Hsu, Hsiao-ming (author), Wu, Huiding (author), Sun, Bo (author)
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Springer 2010
• Subjects: reanalysis data; interannual variability; intraseasonal variability; surface layer; upper layer; Antarctica; Antarctic; Austral; Antarc*
• Online Access: http://nldr.library.ucar.edu/repository/collections/OSGC-000-000-000-325; https://doi.org/10.1007/s00376-010-9140-1

The European Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecast (ECMWF) Re-Analysis (ERA-40) and the National Centers for Environmental Prediction-National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCEP-NCAR) ECMWF (ERA-40) and NCEP-NCAR reanalysis data were compared with Antarctic station observations, including surface-layer and upper-layer atmospheric observations, on intraseasonal and interannual timescales. At the interannual timescale, atmospheric pressure at different height levels in the ERA-40 data are in better agreement with observed pressure than that in the NCEP-NCAR reanalysis data. ERA-40 reanalysis also outperforms NCEP-NCAR reanalysis in atmospheric temperature, except in the surface layer where the biases are somewhat larger. The wind velocity fields in both datasets do not agree well with surface- and upper-layer atmospheric observations. At intraseasonal timescales, both datasets capture the observed intraseasonal variability in pressure and temperature during austral winter. MOST: 2006BAB18B03 MOST: 2006BAB18B05 National Natural Science Foundation of China: 40233032-40640420556 Chinese Polar Program Strategic Research Fund: 20080218