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Evaluation of cloud properties in the NCEP CFSv2 model and its linkage with Indian summer monsoon

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Abstract

Cloud fraction, which varies greatly among general circulation models, plays a crucial role in simulation of Indian summer monsoon rainfall (ISMR). The NCEP Climate Forecast System version 2 (CFSv2) model is evaluated in terms of its simulation of cloud fraction, cloud condensate, outgoing longwave radiation (OLR), and tropospheric temperature (TT). Biases in these simulated quantities are computed using observations from CALIPSO and reanalysis data from MERRA. It is shown that CFSv2 underestimates (overestimates) high- (mid-) level clouds. The cloud condensate is also examined to see its impact on different types of clouds. The upper-level cloud condensate is underestimated, particularly during the summer monsoon period, which leads to a cold TT and a dry precipitation bias. The unrealistically weak TT gradient between ocean and land is responsible for the underestimation of ISMR. The model-simulated OLR is overestimated which depicts the weaker convective activity. A large underestimate of precipitable water is also seen along the cross-equatorial flow and particularly over the Indian land region collocated with a dry precipitation bias. The linkages among cloud microphysical, thermodynamical, and dynamical processes are identified here. Thus, this study highlights the importance of cloud properties, a major cause of uncertainty in CFSv2, and also proposes a pathway for improvements in its simulation of the Indian summer monsoon.

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Acknowledgments

Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), Pune, which is fully funded by the Ministry of Earth Sciences, Government of India, New Delhi is acknowledged. Authors are thankful to Director (IITM), Dr. SuryaChandra Rao and Prof. B. N. Goswami for the constant encouragement and support. Authors are grateful to Dr. Yu-Tai Hou and Dr. S. Moorthi for the valuable discussions and inputs regarding the diagnoses of cloud fractions in CFSv2. Authors are very much thankful to Mr. M. Mahakur (IITM) for the availability of OLR data from Kalpana INSAT satellite and duly acknowledge Dr. X. Jiang of JPL, NASA for providing CloudSat data. Authors duly acknowledge NASA for the MERRA data set, and CALIPSO, NCEP, and ISCCP for the production of the data used in this research effort. Last, but not the least, thanks are due to the anonymous referees and editor for the fruitful and constructive suggestions.

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  1. Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, Dr. Homi Bhabha Road, Pashan, Pune, India

    Anupam Hazra, Hemantkumar S. Chaudhari & Ashish Dhakate

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  1. Anupam Hazra
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Hazra, A., Chaudhari, H.S. & Dhakate, A. Evaluation of cloud properties in the NCEP CFSv2 model and its linkage with Indian summer monsoon. Theor Appl Climatol 124, 31–41 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00704-015-1404-3

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