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The influence of prescribed soil type distribution on the representation of present climate in a regional climate model

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Abstract

Two model simulations with the regional climate model CLM performed with different prescribed soil type distributions are analysed to investigate consistent dry and warm biases during summer in south-eastern Europe evident in a variety of regional climate models. The conventional soil type distribution defines sandy loam in the southeast of Europe; whereas the modified one defines a large area of silt loam instead. As a consequence of the different soil characteristics, the results indicate increased soil moisture in the modified simulation compared to the control simulation. In addition to local changes in near surface parameters, large-scale changes involving temperature, precipitation and surface pressure are observed. Some corrections of the temperature bias in south-eastern Europe are obtained with the prescription of the different soil type, though significant model biases remain in this region.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank Danielle Hoja from German Aerospace Center for help to rectify the atlas map. The simulations have been performed at the German High Performance Computing Centre for Climate- and Earth System Research (DKRZ). Discussions with Jonas Bhend, Sebastian Wagner, Erich Fischer and Kerstin Proemmel were highly appreciated.

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  1. Institute for Coastal Research, Regional Atmospheric Modelling Group, GKSS Research Center, Max-Planck-Str.1, 21502, Geesthacht, Germany

    Ivonne Anders & Burkhardt Rockel

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  1. Ivonne Anders
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  2. Burkhardt Rockel
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Correspondence to Ivonne Anders.

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Anders, I., Rockel, B. The influence of prescribed soil type distribution on the representation of present climate in a regional climate model. Clim Dyn 33, 177–186 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00382-008-0470-y

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