High-resolution regional climate simulations for the Alpine space

Posted on

In a new study recently published on Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, a team of scientists (among them, CMCC researchers M. Montesarchio, A.L. Zollo, E. Bucchignani, P. Mercogliano, S. Castellari from ISC and SERC Division) tried to assess the capabilities of high-resolution simulations in reproducing the main features of the climate in the complex topography region of the Alps for the period 1971–2000 while providing a reliable tool for impact studies on local scale.

Two simulations, driven by ERA-40 Reanalysis, have been carried out, respectively, at spatial resolutions of 0.125° and 0.0715° with the regional climate model COSMO-CLM. The model response has been analyzed in terms of 2 m temperature and precipitation, and comparisons with available observations have been carried out. A number of climate indices have also been analyzed, widely adopted to monitor changes in extreme climate events.
The model at high spatial resolution (0.0715°) provides a satisfactory representation of temperature. The simulated precipitation patterns are also improved due to the high model resolution that allows reproducing localized precipitation phenomena with a medium-high error.

Read the integral version of the paper:

Montesarchio M., Zollo A. L. , Bucchignani E., Mercogliano P., Castellari S.
Performance evaluation of high-resolution regional climate simulations in the Alpine space and analysis of extreme events
2014, Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, 119, DOI: 10.1002/2013JD021105

Start typing and press Enter to search

Shopping Cart