An impact of hydrostatic extraction scheme on BMRC's global global spectral model

There are two important features in geophysical fluid dynamics. One is that the atmospheric and oceanic equations of motion include the Coriolis force; another is that they describe a stratified fluid. The hydrostatic extraction scheme, or standard stratification approximation, posed by Zeng (1979), reflects the second aspect of geophysical fluid dynamics. There exist two major advantages in this scheme; accurate computation of the pressure gradient force can be obtained over steep mountain slopes, and the accumulation error in vertical finite differencing can be reduced, especially near the tropopause. Chen et al (1987) introduced the hydrostatic extraction scheme into a global spectral model, which attained preliminary success at low resolution. Zhang and Sheng et al (1990) developed and improved the hydrostatic extraction scheme in a global spectral model, in which C ₀, the parameter that represents the stratification of the reference atmosphere, changes not only with height, but also with latitude. The scheme has been incorporated BMRC's global spectral model (IAPB). Four 5-day forecasts have been performed to test the IAPB with the hydrostatic extraction scheme. Objective verifications demonstrate a positive effect of the hydrostatic extration scheme on BMRC's model, particularly at upper levels, over the tropics and the Antartic region.