SMHI in the Arctic

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SMHI in the Arctic

• Lars Axell
• Oceanographic Research Unit
• Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute

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Outline of this talk

• Present activities
• Climate Monotoring SAF
• DAMOCLES
• Climate research at the Rossby Centre
• Atmosphere-Ocean Forecasting
• Sensitivity studies using 1-D Arctic models
• Future activities

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Cloud products of the EUMETSATClimate Monitoring
SAF

• Atmospheric research unit at SMHI
• Improvement of cloud schemes in desert and in the
  arctic (ongoing)
• Validation SHEBA data (Oct. 1997 Oct. 1998),
  etc

Product example NOAA AVHRR CFC
climatologies total cloud cover - July, 2005
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Climate Monitoring SAF Versions, operational
introduction and areas
Version 3 March 2007
Version 2 Sep 2005
Version 1 Jan 2005
Initial baseline area
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Climate Monitoring SAF Cloud parameters
CFC Cloud Fractional Cover CTY Cloud
Type CTH Cloud Top Height CTT Cloud Top
Temperature CPH Cloud Phase COT Cloud Optical
Thickness CWP Cloud Water Path Time
resolution (hourly), daily, monthly, monthly mean
diurnal cycle Spatial resolution (Pixel), 15 km
x 15 km
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CM-SAF cloud products main strengths

• Homogeneous product coverage over large areas
  not available from any other observation source
  - Entire Europe, North Atlantic area and later
  the African and North Pole area
• Objective (or at least consistent) cloud
  observations - not affected by subjective
  interpretation of ground observers
• High-resolution (15 km) cloud observations with
  Synop-comparable quality (lt 1 octa) and made both
  during daytime and night-time
• Improved information about vertical distribution
  of clouds
• Additional information on cloud physical
  properties - essential parameters for more
  advanced radiative impact studies
• Available from a central facility reachable from
  all EUMETSAT member states

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Climate research at the Rossby CentreRegional
coupled model RCAO

• Rossby Centre research unit at SMHI
• Regional coupled atmosphere-ocean-sea ice model
  of the Arctic
• Also used in DAMOCLES
• Coupled processes
• Ice-albedo-feedbacks
• Surface temperature-atmosphere dynamics feedbacks
• Regional Climate scenarios

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Climate research at the Rossby CentreDependence
of Sea Ice on Long Wave Radiation

• The models LW downward radiation includes a
  contribution for the effect of auxiliary gases. A
  corresponding constant is varied between 5 and 15
  W/m2
• 5 W/m2
• 10 W/m2
• 12,5 W/m2
• 15 W/m2
• The strong effect on sea ice includes a positive
  feedback via sea ice

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Climate research at the Rossby CentreValidation
of clouds (Wyser et al., 2006)
Total cloud cover at Ny Ålesund/Spitsbergen
Reference Wyser et al. 2006
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Climate research at the Rossby CentreChallenges
for the future

• To describe coupled processes
• Ice albedo formulation
• To describe changing coupled processes under
  changing large scale conditions
• Does the model follow year-to-year variability?
• Does the model follow interdecadal variability?
• To prevent artificial drifts
• Salinity
• Are flux corrections necessary ?

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DAMOCLESAtmosphere-Ocean Forecasting

• NWP and oceanographic research units at SMHI
• Atmosphere High-Resolution Limited-Area Model
  (HIRLAM)
• Operational today 22 km, 11 km, 5.5 km
• Ocean High-Resolution Operational Model for the
  Baltic (HIROMB) set up for the Arctic (HIROMA?)
• Operational today 12 nm, 3 nm, 1 nm, (2 60 m
  in test, Brofjorden, Sweden)
• Coupled Atmosphere-Ocean experiments
• Resolution 0.1 degrees (11 km)
• Coupling time step 6 hours?

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DAMOCLESAtmosphere-Ocean Forecasting (cont.)

• Purposes
• Improve prediction capabilities of NWP tools
• Improve monitoring (analysis) of the Arctic and
  Europe
• Focuses
• Improve data assimilation procedures for sea ice,
  temperature, humidity, etc
• Improve parameterizations
• No results yet

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DAMOCLESSensitivity studies using 1-D Arctic
models

• Coupled 1-D atmosphere-ice-ocean model
• Complement to 3-D model studies
• Sensitivity studies
• Explore parameter spaces over wide ranges
• Meltponds

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Future activities

• Continuation of Climate Moniroring SAF
• Continuation of DAMOCLES
• Expression of Intent 113 High resolution data
  assimilation, modelling and reanalysis for the
  Arctic (A reanalysis of the IPY)
• Expression of Intent 154 The Study of
  Short-Term Arctic Sea Ice Predictability Sea ice
  forecast research in support of International Ice
  Chart Working Group (IICWG) requirements (IICWG
  Sea Ice Forecast Research)
• No funding yet