THE ANTARCTIC CLIMATE OF THE UKMO UNIFIED MODEL

Citation
Wm. Connolley et H. Cattle, THE ANTARCTIC CLIMATE OF THE UKMO UNIFIED MODEL, Antarctic science, 6(1), 1994, pp. 115-122
Citations number
NO
Categorie Soggetti
Environmental Sciences","Multidisciplinary Sciences
Journal title
ISSN journal
09541020
Volume
6
Issue
1
Year of publication
1994
Pages
115 - 122
Database
ISI
SICI code
0954-1020(1994)6:1<115:TACOTU>2.0.ZU;2-B
Abstract
We examine some aspects of the performance of the United Kingdom Meteo rological Office's new climate model over Antarctica. Pressure and tem perature fields are presented as a basic check on the model climate. T he gradient of pressure between mid-latitudes and high southern latitu des is too great, resulting in an Antarctic trough that is too deep by 4-6 hPa. Temperature is well modelled though the interior is slightly too cold in winter. Precipitation is interesting because of its relev ance to mass balance and therefore changes in sea level. The simulatio n of the pattern of accumulation is good despite somewhat high values at places in the coastal areas, with an areally-averaged value of 182 mm y-1. We also look at the phenomena of the coreless winter and the k atabatic winds which are a consequence of the intense radiative coolin g. These two effects may provide a useful diagnostic of the model perf ormance.