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Seasonal climate hindcasts with Eta model nested in CPTEC coupled ocean–atmosphere general circulation model

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Abstract

This work evaluates the added value of the downscaling technique employed with the Eta model nested in the CPTEC atmospheric general circulation model and in the CPTEC coupled ocean–atmosphere general circulation model (CGCM). The focus is on the austral summer season, December–January–February, with three members each year. Precipitation, latent heat flux, and shortwave radiation flux at the surface hindcast by the models are compared with observational data and model analyses. The global models generally overestimate the precipitation over South America and tropical Atlantic. The CGCM and the nested Eta (Eta + C) both produce a split in the ITCZ precipitation band. The Eta + C produces better precipitation pattern for the studied season. The Eta model reduces the excessive latent heat flux generated by these global models, in particular the Eta + C. Comparison against PIRATA buoys data shows that the Eta + C results in the smallest precipitation and shortwave radiation forecast errors. The Eta + C comparatively best results are though as a consequence of both: the regional model resolution/physics and smaller errors on the lateral boundary conditions provided by the CGCM.

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Acknowledgments

The project was funded by the Brazilian Research Council—CNPq under grant no. 480236/07-0 and FAPESP under grant no. 2005/00915-2. The authors thank both CNPq and FAPESP for the grants received for the development of this work, and the TAO Project Office of NOAA/PMEL for the PIRATA data. The authors would like to thank the reviewers’ suggestions that helped improving the manuscript.

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  1. National Institute for Space Research—INPE, Rod. Pres. Dutra km 39, Cachoeira Paulista, SP, Brazil, 12630-000

    Isabel L. Pilotto, Sin Chan Chou & Paulo Nobre

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  1. Isabel L. Pilotto
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  2. Sin Chan Chou
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  3. Paulo Nobre
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Correspondence to Isabel L. Pilotto.

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Pilotto, I.L., Chou, S.C. & Nobre, P. Seasonal climate hindcasts with Eta model nested in CPTEC coupled ocean–atmosphere general circulation model. Theor Appl Climatol 110, 437–456 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00704-012-0633-y

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