Multiscale combination of climate model simulations and proxy records over the last millennium

• Published in: Theoretical and applied climatology 2018-05, Vol.132 (3-4), p.763-777
• Main Authors: Chen, Xin, Xing, Pei, Luo, Yong, Nie, Suping, Zhao, Zongci, Huang, Jianbin, Tian, Qinhua
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Algorithms; Analysis; Anomalies; Aquatic Pollution; Atmospheric Protection/Air Quality Control/Air Pollution; Atmospheric Sciences; Climate; Climate models; Climate science; Climatology; Components; Computer simulation; Decomposition; Earth and Environmental Science; Earth Sciences; Empirical analysis; Interpolation; Mathematical models; Methods; Northern Hemisphere; Original Paper; Proxy; Reconstruction; Records; Scaling; Simulation; Spatial resolution; Spectral analysis; Surface temperature; Temperature anomalies; Variance analysis; Waste Water Technology; Water Management; Water Pollution Control
• ISSN: 0177-798X; 1434-4483
• DOI: 10.1007/s00704-017-2119-4

To highlight the compatibility of climate model simulation and proxy reconstruction at different timescales, a timescale separation merging method combining proxy records and climate model simulations is presented. Annual mean surface temperature anomalies for the last millennium (851–2005 AD) at various scales over the land of the Northern Hemisphere were reconstructed with 2° × 2° spatial resolution, using an optimal interpolation (OI) algorithm. All target series were decomposed using an ensemble empirical mode decomposition method followed by power spectral analysis. Four typical components were obtained at inter-annual, decadal, multidecadal, and centennial timescales. A total of 323 temperature-sensitive proxy chronologies were incorporated after screening for each component. By scaling the proxy components using variance matching and applying a localized OI algorithm to all four components point by point, we obtained merged surface temperatures. Independent validation indicates that the most significant improvement was for components at the inter-annual scale, but this became less evident with increasing timescales. In mid-latitude land areas, 10–30% of grids were significantly corrected at the inter-annual scale. By assimilating the proxy records, the merged results reduced the gap in response to volcanic forcing between a pure reconstruction and simulation. Difficulty remained in verifying the centennial information and quantifying corresponding uncertainties, so additional effort should be devoted to this aspect in future research.