Evaluation of precipitation in the Intermountain Region as simulated by the NARCCAP regional climate models

We evaluated the precipitation climatology of the Intermountain Region (IR) as generated by the six regional climate models of the North American Regional Climate Change Assessment Program (NARCCAP). A complex combination of the precipitation annual and semiannual cycles with their different phases...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Geophysical research letters 2009-06, Vol.36 (11), p.n/a
Main Authors: Wang, Shih-Yu, Gillies, Robert R., Takle, Eugene S., Gutowski Jr, William J.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Atmospheric sciences
Climate change
Climate models
Climate science
Climatology
Earth
Earth sciences
Earth, ocean, space
El Nino
Environmental assessment
Exact sciences and technology
Hydrology
intermountain
precipitation
Southern Oscillation
Winter
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Summary:We evaluated the precipitation climatology of the Intermountain Region (IR) as generated by the six regional climate models of the North American Regional Climate Change Assessment Program (NARCCAP). A complex combination of the precipitation annual and semiannual cycles with their different phases form four major climate regimes over the IR. Each model produces systematic biases in the central IR where these different climate regimes meet. The simulated annual cycles are universally too strong, and the winter precipitation is too large. On the other hand, the semiannual cycles are relatively well produced. The strong annual cycles and the excess winter precipitation obscure the signals of spring/summer precipitation and may have led to false signals of the El Niño‐Southern Oscillation (ENSO) found in the central IR. Therefore, caution is advised when interpreting the simulated NARCCAP precipitation for the IR.
ISSN:0094-8276
1944-8007
DOI:10.1029/2009GL037930