Indian Ocean Subtropical Dipole Modes in the CMIP3 Twentieth-Century Climate Simulations
Abstract
Using observation data and outputs from the "twentieth-century climate in coupled models" (20c3m) control runs of coupled general circulation models submitted to the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project, phase 3 (CMIP3), the ability of CMIP3 models to simulate the Indian Ocean subtropical dipole (IOSD) and its influence on the rainfall anomaly over the southern African region is investigated. It is found that many models can simulate the IOSD itself, but the location and shape of the sea surface temperature anomaly poles vary among the models. This model bias is closely linked to model biases in the anomalous strengthening and southward shift of the subtropical high. As a result, almost all models fail to simulate the rainfall anomaly associated with the IOSD.
- Publication:
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AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- December 2011
- Bibcode:
- 2011AGUFMOS21A1578K
- Keywords:
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- 3337 ATMOSPHERIC PROCESSES / Global climate models;
- 3339 ATMOSPHERIC PROCESSES / Ocean/atmosphere interactions;
- 4215 OCEANOGRAPHY: GENERAL / Climate and interannual variability;
- 4263 OCEANOGRAPHY: GENERAL / Ocean predictability and prediction