Articles | Volume 4, issue 1
https://doi.org/10.5194/wcd-4-189-2023
© Author(s) 2023. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/wcd-4-189-2023
© Author(s) 2023. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
02 Feb 2023
Research article |
| 02 Feb 2023
| 02 Feb 2023
Vortex streets to the lee of Madeira in a kilometre-resolution regional climate model
Qinggang Gao
Institute for Atmospheric and Climate Science, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
now at: Ice Dynamics and Paleoclimate, British Antarctic Survey, Cambridge, United Kingdom
now at: Department of Earth Sciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
Christian Zeman
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Institute for Atmospheric and Climate Science, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
Jesus Vergara-Temprado
Institute for Atmospheric and Climate Science, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
now at: UBS, Zurich, Switzerland
Daniela C. A. Lima
Instituto Dom Luiz (IDL), Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, 1749-016 Lisbon, Portugal
Peter Molnar
Institute of Environmental Engineering, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
Christoph Schär
Institute for Atmospheric and Climate Science, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
Related authors
Qinggang Gao, Emilie Capron, Louise C. Sime, Rachael H. Rhodes, Rahul Sivankutty, Xu Zhang, Bette L. Otto-Bliesner, and Martin Werner
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-1261, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-1261, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Marine sediment and ice core records suggest a warmer Southern Ocean and Antarctica at the early last interglacial, ~127 thousand years ago. However, when only forced by orbital parameters and greenhouse gas concentrations during that period, state-of-the-art climate models do not reproduce the magnitude of warming. Here we show that much of the warming at southern mid-to-high latitudes can be reproduced by a UK climate model HadCM3 with a 3000-year freshwater forcing over the North Atlantic.
Qinggang Gao, Louise C. Sime, Alison J. McLaren, Thomas J. Bracegirdle, Emilie Capron, Rachael H. Rhodes, Hans Christian Steen-Larsen, Xiaoxu Shi, and Martin Werner
The Cryosphere, 18, 683–703, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-683-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-683-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Antarctic precipitation is a crucial component of the climate system. Its spatio-temporal variability impacts sea level changes and the interpretation of water isotope measurements in ice cores. To better understand its climatic drivers, we developed water tracers in an atmospheric model to identify moisture source conditions from which precipitation originates. We find that mid-latitude surface winds exert an important control on moisture availability for Antarctic precipitation.
Hugo Banderier, Christian Zeman, David Leutwyler, Stefan Rüdisühli, and Christoph Schär
Geosci. Model Dev., 17, 5573–5586, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-17-5573-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-17-5573-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
We investigate the effects of reduced-precision arithmetic in a state-of-the-art regional climate model by studying the results of 10-year-long simulations. After this time, the results of the reduced precision and the standard implementation are hardly different. This should encourage the use of reduced precision in climate models to exploit the speedup and memory savings it brings. The methodology used in this work can help researchers verify reduced-precision implementations of their model.
Stefano Ubbiali, Christian Kühnlein, Christoph Schär, Linda Schlemmer, Thomas C. Schulthess, Michael Staneker, and Heini Wernli
Geosci. Model Dev. Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-2024-92, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-2024-92, 2024
Revised manuscript accepted for GMD
Short summary
Short summary
We explore a high-level programming model for GPU porting of NWP model codes, based on the Python domain-specific library GT4Py. We present a Python rewrite with GT4Py of the ECMWF cloud microphysics scheme and the associated tangent-linear and adjoint algorithms. We find excellent portability, competitive performance and robust execution on diverse CPU and GPU architectures. The additional advantages in terms of maintainability, productivity and readability are also highlighted.
Qinggang Gao, Emilie Capron, Louise C. Sime, Rachael H. Rhodes, Rahul Sivankutty, Xu Zhang, Bette L. Otto-Bliesner, and Martin Werner
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-1261, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-1261, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Marine sediment and ice core records suggest a warmer Southern Ocean and Antarctica at the early last interglacial, ~127 thousand years ago. However, when only forced by orbital parameters and greenhouse gas concentrations during that period, state-of-the-art climate models do not reproduce the magnitude of warming. Here we show that much of the warming at southern mid-to-high latitudes can be reproduced by a UK climate model HadCM3 with a 3000-year freshwater forcing over the North Atlantic.
Mosisa Tujuba Wakjira, Nadav Peleg, Johan Six, and Peter Molnar
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci. Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-2024-37, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-2024-37, 2024
Revised manuscript accepted for HESS
Short summary
Short summary
While rainwater is a key resource in crop production, its productivity faces challenges from climate change. Using a simple model of climate, water, and crop yield interactions, we found that rain-scarce croplands in Ethiopia are likely to experience decreases in crop yield during the main growing season, primarily due to future temperature increases. These insights are crucial for shaping future water management plans, policies, and informed decision-making for climate adaptation.
Qinggang Gao, Louise C. Sime, Alison J. McLaren, Thomas J. Bracegirdle, Emilie Capron, Rachael H. Rhodes, Hans Christian Steen-Larsen, Xiaoxu Shi, and Martin Werner
The Cryosphere, 18, 683–703, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-683-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-683-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Antarctic precipitation is a crucial component of the climate system. Its spatio-temporal variability impacts sea level changes and the interpretation of water isotope measurements in ice cores. To better understand its climatic drivers, we developed water tracers in an atmospheric model to identify moisture source conditions from which precipitation originates. We find that mid-latitude surface winds exert an important control on moisture availability for Antarctic precipitation.
Pedro M. M. Soares, Frederico Johannsen, Daniela C. A. Lima, Gil Lemos, Virgílio A. Bento, and Angelina Bushenkova
Geosci. Model Dev., 17, 229–259, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-17-229-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-17-229-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
This study uses deep learning (DL) to downscale global climate models for the Iberian Peninsula. Four DL architectures were evaluated and trained using historical climate data and then used to downscale future projections from the global models. These show agreement with the original models and reveal a warming of 2 ºC to 6 ºC, along with decreasing precipitation in western Iberia after 2040. This approach offers key regional climate change information for adaptation strategies in the region.
Ruoyi Cui, Nikolina Ban, Marie-Estelle Demory, Raffael Aellig, Oliver Fuhrer, Jonas Jucker, Xavier Lapillonne, and Christoph Schär
Weather Clim. Dynam., 4, 905–926, https://doi.org/10.5194/wcd-4-905-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/wcd-4-905-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Our study focuses on severe convective storms that occur over the Alpine-Adriatic region. By running simulations for eight real cases and evaluating them against available observations, we found our models did a good job of simulating total precipitation, hail, and lightning. Overall, this research identified important meteorological factors for hail and lightning, and the results indicate that both HAILCAST and LPI diagnostics are promising candidates for future climate research.
Jessica Droujko, Srividya Hariharan Sudha, Gabriel Singer, and Peter Molnar
Earth Surf. Dynam., 11, 881–897, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-11-881-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-11-881-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
We combined data from satellite images with data measured from a kayak in order to understand the propagation of fine sediment in the Vjosa River. We were able to find some storm-activated and some permanent sources of sediment. We also estimated how much fine sediment is carried into the Adriatic Sea by the Vjosa River: approximately 2.5 Mt per year, which matches previous findings. With our work, we hope to show the potential of open-access satellite images.
Tobias Siegfried, Aziz Ul Haq Mujahid, Beatrice Sabine Marti, Peter Molnar, Dirk Nikolaus Karger, and Andrey Yakovlev
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2023-520, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2023-520, 2023
Preprint archived
Short summary
Short summary
Our study investigates climate change impacts on water resources in Central Asia's high-mountain regions. Using new data and a stochastic soil moisture model, we found increased precipitation and higher temperatures in the future, leading to higher water discharge despite decreasing glacier melt contributions. These findings are crucial for understanding and preparing for climate change effects on Central Asia's water resources, with further research needed on extreme weather event impacts.
Eleonora Dallan, Francesco Marra, Giorgia Fosser, Marco Marani, Giuseppe Formetta, Christoph Schär, and Marco Borga
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 27, 1133–1149, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-27-1133-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-27-1133-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Convection-permitting climate models could represent future changes in extreme short-duration precipitation, which is critical for risk management. We use a non-asymptotic statistical method to estimate extremes from 10 years of simulations in an orographically complex area. Despite overall good agreement with rain gauges, the observed decrease of hourly extremes with elevation is not fully represented by the model. Climate model adjustment methods should consider the role of orography.
Roman Brogli, Christoph Heim, Jonas Mensch, Silje Lund Sørland, and Christoph Schär
Geosci. Model Dev., 16, 907–926, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-16-907-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-16-907-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
The pseudo-global-warming (PGW) approach is a downscaling methodology that imposes the large-scale GCM-based climate change signal on the boundary conditions of a regional climate simulation. It offers several benefits in comparison to conventional downscaling. We present a detailed description of the methodology, provide companion software to facilitate the preparation of PGW simulations, and present validation and sensitivity studies.
Fabian Walter, Elias Hodel, Erik S. Mannerfelt, Kristen Cook, Michael Dietze, Livia Estermann, Michaela Wenner, Daniel Farinotti, Martin Fengler, Lukas Hammerschmidt, Flavia Hänsli, Jacob Hirschberg, Brian McArdell, and Peter Molnar
Nat. Hazards Earth Syst. Sci., 22, 4011–4018, https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-22-4011-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-22-4011-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Debris flows are dangerous sediment–water mixtures in steep terrain. Their formation takes place in poorly accessible terrain where instrumentation cannot be installed. Here we propose to monitor such source terrain with an autonomous drone for mapping sediments which were left behind by debris flows or may contribute to future events. Short flight intervals elucidate changes of such sediments, providing important information for landscape evolution and the likelihood of future debris flows.
Christian R. Steger, Benjamin Steger, and Christoph Schär
Geosci. Model Dev., 15, 6817–6840, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-15-6817-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-15-6817-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Terrain horizon and sky view factor are crucial quantities for many geoscientific applications; e.g. they are used to account for effects of terrain on surface radiation in climate and land surface models. Because typical terrain horizon algorithms are inefficient for high-resolution (< 30 m) elevation data, we developed a new algorithm based on a ray-tracing library. A comparison with two conventional methods revealed both its high performance and its accuracy for complex terrain.
Silvan Ragettli, Tabea Donauer, Peter Molnar, Ron Delnoije, and Tobias Siegfried
Earth Surf. Dynam., 10, 797–815, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-10-797-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-10-797-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
This paper presents a novel methodology to identify and quantitatively analyze deposition and erosion patterns in ephemeral ponds or in perennial lakes with strong water level fluctuations. We apply this method to unravel the water and sediment balance of Lac Wégnia, a designated Ramsar site in Mali. The study can be a showcase for monitoring Sahelian lakes using remote sensing data, as it sheds light on the actual drivers of change in Sahelian lakes.
Miguel Nogueira, Alexandra Hurduc, Sofia Ermida, Daniela C. A. Lima, Pedro M. M. Soares, Frederico Johannsen, and Emanuel Dutra
Geosci. Model Dev., 15, 5949–5965, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-15-5949-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-15-5949-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
We evaluated the quality of the ERA5 reanalysis representation of the urban heat island (UHI) over the city of Paris and performed a set of offline runs using the SURFEX land surface model. They were compared with observations (satellite and in situ). The SURFEX-TEB runs showed the best performance in representing the UHI, reducing its bias significantly. We demonstrate the ability of the SURFEX-TEB framework to simulate urban climate, which is crucial for studying climate change in cities.
Anne Sophie Daloz, Clemens Schwingshackl, Priscilla Mooney, Susanna Strada, Diana Rechid, Edouard L. Davin, Eleni Katragkou, Nathalie de Noblet-Ducoudré, Michal Belda, Tomas Halenka, Marcus Breil, Rita M. Cardoso, Peter Hoffmann, Daniela C. A. Lima, Ronny Meier, Pedro M. M. Soares, Giannis Sofiadis, Gustav Strandberg, Merja H. Toelle, and Marianne T. Lund
The Cryosphere, 16, 2403–2419, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-2403-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-2403-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Snow plays a major role in the regulation of the Earth's surface temperature. Together with climate change, rising temperatures are already altering snow in many ways. In this context, it is crucial to better understand the ability of climate models to represent snow and snow processes. This work focuses on Europe and shows that the melting season in spring still represents a challenge for climate models and that more work is needed to accurately simulate snow–atmosphere interactions.
Priscilla A. Mooney, Diana Rechid, Edouard L. Davin, Eleni Katragkou, Natalie de Noblet-Ducoudré, Marcus Breil, Rita M. Cardoso, Anne Sophie Daloz, Peter Hoffmann, Daniela C. A. Lima, Ronny Meier, Pedro M. M. Soares, Giannis Sofiadis, Susanna Strada, Gustav Strandberg, Merja H. Toelle, and Marianne T. Lund
The Cryosphere, 16, 1383–1397, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-1383-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-1383-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
We use multiple regional climate models to show that afforestation in sub-polar and alpine regions reduces the radiative impact of snow albedo on the atmosphere, reduces snow cover, and delays the start of the snowmelt season. This is important for local communities that are highly reliant on snowpack for water resources and winter tourism. However, models disagree on the amount of change particularly when snow is melting. This shows that more research is needed on snow–vegetation interactions.
Christian Zeman and Christoph Schär
Geosci. Model Dev., 15, 3183–3203, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-15-3183-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-15-3183-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Our atmosphere is a chaotic system, where even a tiny change can have a big impact. This makes it difficult to assess if small changes, such as the move to a new hardware architecture, will significantly affect a weather and climate model. We present a methodology that allows to objectively verify this. The methodology is applied to several test cases, showing a high sensitivity. Results also show that a major system update of the underlying supercomputer did not significantly affect our model.
Roman Brogli, Silje Lund Sørland, Nico Kröner, and Christoph Schär
Weather Clim. Dynam., 2, 1093–1110, https://doi.org/10.5194/wcd-2-1093-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/wcd-2-1093-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
In a warmer future climate, climate simulations predict that some land areas will experience excessive warming during summer. We show that the excessive summer warming is related to the vertical distribution of warming within the atmosphere. In regions characterized by excessive warming, much of the warming occurs close to the surface. In other regions, most of the warming is redistributed to higher levels in the atmosphere, which weakens the surface warming.
Elena Leonarduzzi, Brian W. McArdell, and Peter Molnar
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 25, 5937–5950, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-25-5937-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-25-5937-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Landslides are a dangerous natural hazard affecting alpine regions, calling for effective warning systems. Here we consider different approaches for the prediction of rainfall-induced shallow landslides at the regional scale, based on open-access datasets and operational hydrological forecasting systems. We find antecedent wetness useful to improve upon the classical rainfall thresholds and the resolution of the hydrological model used for its estimate to be a critical aspect.
Jacob Hirschberg, Alexandre Badoux, Brian W. McArdell, Elena Leonarduzzi, and Peter Molnar
Nat. Hazards Earth Syst. Sci., 21, 2773–2789, https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-21-2773-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-21-2773-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Debris-flow prediction is often based on rainfall thresholds, but uncertainty assessments are rare. We established rainfall thresholds using two approaches and find that 25 debris flows are needed for uncertainties to converge in an Alpine basin and that the suitable method differs for regional compared to local thresholds. Finally, we demonstrate the potential of a statistical learning algorithm to improve threshold performance. These findings are helpful for early warning system development.
Daniel Regenass, Linda Schlemmer, Elena Jahr, and Christoph Schär
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci. Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-2021-426, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-2021-426, 2021
Manuscript not accepted for further review
Short summary
Short summary
Weather and climate models need to represent the water cycle on land in order to provide accurate estimates of moisture and energy exchange between the land and the atmosphere. Infiltration of water into the soil is often modeled with an equation describing water transport in porous media. Here, we point out some challenges arising in the numerical solution of this equation and show the consequences for the representation of the water cycle in modern weather and climate models.
Silje Lund Sørland, Roman Brogli, Praveen Kumar Pothapakula, Emmanuele Russo, Jonas Van de Walle, Bodo Ahrens, Ivonne Anders, Edoardo Bucchignani, Edouard L. Davin, Marie-Estelle Demory, Alessandro Dosio, Hendrik Feldmann, Barbara Früh, Beate Geyer, Klaus Keuler, Donghyun Lee, Delei Li, Nicole P. M. van Lipzig, Seung-Ki Min, Hans-Jürgen Panitz, Burkhardt Rockel, Christoph Schär, Christian Steger, and Wim Thiery
Geosci. Model Dev., 14, 5125–5154, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-14-5125-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-14-5125-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
We review the contribution from the CLM-Community to regional climate projections following the CORDEX framework over Europe, South Asia, East Asia, Australasia, and Africa. How the model configuration, horizontal and vertical resolutions, and choice of driving data influence the model results for the five domains is assessed, with the purpose of aiding the planning and design of regional climate simulations in the future.
Christian Zeman, Nils P. Wedi, Peter D. Dueben, Nikolina Ban, and Christoph Schär
Geosci. Model Dev., 14, 4617–4639, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-14-4617-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-14-4617-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Kilometer-scale atmospheric models allow us to partially resolve thunderstorms and thus improve their representation. We present an intercomparison between two distinct atmospheric models for 2 summer days with heavy thunderstorms over Europe. We show the dependence of precipitation and vertical wind speed on spatial and temporal resolution and also discuss the possible influence of the system of equations, numerical methods, and diffusion in the models.
Marius G. Floriancic, Wouter R. Berghuijs, Tobias Jonas, James W. Kirchner, and Peter Molnar
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 24, 5423–5438, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-24-5423-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-24-5423-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
Low river flows affect societies and ecosystems. Here we study how precipitation and potential evapotranspiration shape low flows across a network of 380 Swiss catchments. Low flows in these rivers typically result from below-average precipitation and above-average potential evapotranspiration. Extreme low flows result from long periods of the combined effects of both drivers.
Marie-Estelle Demory, Ségolène Berthou, Jesús Fernández, Silje L. Sørland, Roman Brogli, Malcolm J. Roberts, Urs Beyerle, Jon Seddon, Rein Haarsma, Christoph Schär, Erasmo Buonomo, Ole B. Christensen, James M. Ciarlo ̀, Rowan Fealy, Grigory Nikulin, Daniele Peano, Dian Putrasahan, Christopher D. Roberts, Retish Senan, Christian Steger, Claas Teichmann, and Robert Vautard
Geosci. Model Dev., 13, 5485–5506, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-13-5485-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-13-5485-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
Now that global climate models (GCMs) can run at similar resolutions to regional climate models (RCMs), one may wonder whether GCMs and RCMs provide similar regional climate information. We perform an evaluation for daily precipitation distribution in PRIMAVERA GCMs (25–50 km resolution) and CORDEX RCMs (12–50 km resolution) over Europe. We show that PRIMAVERA and CORDEX simulate similar distributions. Considering both datasets at such a resolution results in large benefits for impact studies.
Elena Leonarduzzi and Peter Molnar
Nat. Hazards Earth Syst. Sci., 20, 2905–2919, https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-20-2905-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-20-2905-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
Landslides are a natural hazard that affects alpine regions. Here we focus on rainfall-induced shallow landslides and one of the most widely used approaches for their predictions: rainfall thresholds. We design several comparisons utilizing a landslide database and rainfall records in Switzerland. We find that using daily rather than hourly rainfall might be a better option in some circumstances, and mean annual precipitation and antecedent wetness can improve predictions at the regional scale.
Stefan Rüdisühli, Michael Sprenger, David Leutwyler, Christoph Schär, and Heini Wernli
Weather Clim. Dynam., 1, 675–699, https://doi.org/10.5194/wcd-1-675-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/wcd-1-675-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
Most precipitation over Europe is linked to low-pressure systems, cold fronts, warm fronts, or high-pressure systems. Based on a massive computer simulation able to resolve thunderstorms, we quantify in detail how much precipitation these weather systems produced during 2000–2008. We find distinct seasonal and regional differences, such as fronts precipitating a lot in fall and winter over the North Atlantic but high-pressure systems mostly in summer over the continent by way of thunderstorms.
Giulia Battista, Peter Molnar, and Paolo Burlando
Earth Surf. Dynam., 8, 619–635, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-8-619-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-8-619-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
Suspended sediment load in rivers is highly uncertain because of spatial and temporal variability. By means of a hydrology and suspended sediment transport model, we investigated the effect of spatial variability in precipitation and surface erodibility on catchment sediment fluxes in a mesoscale river basin.
We found that sediment load depends on the spatial variability in erosion drivers, as this affects erosion rates and the location and connectivity to the channel of the erosion areas.
Nadav Peleg, Chris Skinner, Simone Fatichi, and Peter Molnar
Earth Surf. Dynam., 8, 17–36, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-8-17-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-8-17-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
Extreme rainfall is expected to intensify with increasing temperatures, which will likely affect rainfall spatial structure. The spatial variability of rainfall can affect streamflow and sediment transport volumes and peaks. The sensitivity of the hydro-morphological response to changes in the structure of heavy rainfall was investigated. It was found that the morphological components are more sensitive to changes in rainfall spatial structure in comparison to the hydrological components.
Samuel Monhart, Massimiliano Zappa, Christoph Spirig, Christoph Schär, and Konrad Bogner
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 23, 493–513, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-23-493-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-23-493-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
Subseasonal streamflow forecasts have received increasing attention during the past decade, but their performance in alpine catchments is still largely unknown. We analyse the effect of a statistical correction technique applied to the driving meteorological forecasts on the performance of the resulting streamflow forecasts. The study shows the benefits of such hydrometeorological ensemble prediction systems and highlights the importance of snow-related processes for subseasonal predictions.
Stefan Brönnimann, Jan Rajczak, Erich M. Fischer, Christoph C. Raible, Marco Rohrer, and Christoph Schär
Nat. Hazards Earth Syst. Sci., 18, 2047–2056, https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-18-2047-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-18-2047-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
Heavy precipitation events in Switzerland are expected to become more intense, but the seasonality also changes. Analysing a large set of model simulations, we find that annual maximum rainfall events become less frequent in late summer and more frequent in early summer and early autumn. The seasonality shift is arguably related to summer drying. Results suggest that changes in the seasonal cycle need to be accounted for when preparing for moderately extreme precipitation events.
Anna Costa, Daniela Anghileri, and Peter Molnar
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 22, 3421–3434, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-22-3421-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-22-3421-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
We analyse the control of hydroclimatic factors – erosive rainfall, ice melt, and snowmelt – on suspended sediment concentration (SSC) of Alpine catchments regulated by hydropower, and we develop a multivariate hydroclimatic–informed rating curve. We show that while erosive rainfall determines the variability of SSC, ice melt generates the highest contribution to SSC per unit of runoff. This approach allows the exploration of climate–driven changes in fine sediment dynamics in Alpine catchments.
Erik Kjellström, Grigory Nikulin, Gustav Strandberg, Ole Bøssing Christensen, Daniela Jacob, Klaus Keuler, Geert Lenderink, Erik van Meijgaard, Christoph Schär, Samuel Somot, Silje Lund Sørland, Claas Teichmann, and Robert Vautard
Earth Syst. Dynam., 9, 459–478, https://doi.org/10.5194/esd-9-459-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/esd-9-459-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
Based on high-resolution regional climate models we investigate European climate change at 1.5 and 2 °C of global warming compared to pre-industrial levels. Considerable near-surface warming exceeding that of the global mean is found for most of Europe, already at the lower 1.5 °C of warming level. Changes in precipitation and near-surface wind speed are identified. The 1.5 °C of warming level shows significantly less change compared to the 2 °C level, indicating the importance of mitigation.
Anna Costa, Peter Molnar, Laura Stutenbecker, Maarten Bakker, Tiago A. Silva, Fritz Schlunegger, Stuart N. Lane, Jean-Luc Loizeau, and Stéphanie Girardclos
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 22, 509–528, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-22-509-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-22-509-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
We explore the signal of a warmer climate in the suspended-sediment dynamics of a regulated and human-impacted Alpine catchment. We demonstrate that temperature-driven enhanced melting of glaciers, which occurred in the mid-1980s, played a dominant role in suspended sediment concentration rise, through increased runoff from sediment-rich proglacial areas, increased contribution of sediment-rich meltwater, and increased sediment supply in proglacial areas due to glacier recession.
Prisco Frei, Sven Kotlarski, Mark A. Liniger, and Christoph Schär
The Cryosphere, 12, 1–24, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-1-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-1-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
Snowfall is central to Alpine environments, and its future changes will be associated with pronounced impacts. We here assess future snowfall changes in the European Alps based on an ensemble of state-of-the-art regional climate model experiments and on two different greenhouse gas emission scenarios. The results reveal pronounced changes in the Alpine snowfall climate with considerable snowfall reductions at low and mid-elevations but also snowfall increases at high elevations in midwinter.
Martin Wild, Atsumu Ohmura, Christoph Schär, Guido Müller, Doris Folini, Matthias Schwarz, Maria Zyta Hakuba, and Arturo Sanchez-Lorenzo
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 9, 601–613, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-9-601-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-9-601-2017, 2017
Short summary
Short summary
The Global Energy Balance Archive (GEBA) is a database for the central storage of worldwide measured energy fluxes at the Earth's surface, maintained at ETH Zurich (Switzerland). This paper documents the status of the GEBA version 2017 database, presents the new web interface and user access, and reviews the scientific impact that GEBA data had in various applications. GEBA has continuously been expanded and updated and to date contains around 500 000 monthly mean entries from 2500 locations.
Anna Costa, Daniela Anghileri, and Peter Molnar
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci. Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-2017-419, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-2017-419, 2017
Manuscript not accepted for further review
Short summary
Short summary
We develop a novel rating curve to simulate suspended sediment concentration (SSC) in Alpine catchments (Process-Based Rating Curve, PBRC). Instead of relating SSC to discharge, as in traditional approaches, we model SSC by differentiating the potential contributions of the main erosional and transport processes of Alpine environments: erosive rainfall, snowmelt, and icemelt. We show that PBRC significantly improves predictions of SSC, especially when analysing climate-induced changes.
Nadav Peleg, Frank Blumensaat, Peter Molnar, Simone Fatichi, and Paolo Burlando
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 21, 1559–1572, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-21-1559-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-21-1559-2017, 2017
Short summary
Short summary
We investigated the relative contribution of the spatial versus climatic rainfall variability for flow peaks by applying an advanced stochastic rainfall generator to simulate rainfall for a small urban catchment and simulate flow dynamics in the sewer system. We found that the main contribution to the total flow variability originates from the natural climate variability. The contribution of spatial rainfall variability to the total flow variability was found to increase with return periods.
Søren Thorndahl, Thomas Einfalt, Patrick Willems, Jesper Ellerbæk Nielsen, Marie-Claire ten Veldhuis, Karsten Arnbjerg-Nielsen, Michael R. Rasmussen, and Peter Molnar
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 21, 1359–1380, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-21-1359-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-21-1359-2017, 2017
Short summary
Short summary
This paper reviews how weather radar data can be used in urban hydrological applications. It focuses on three areas of research: (1) temporal and spatial resolution of rainfall data, (2) rainfall estimation, radar data adjustment and data quality, and (3) nowcasting of radar rainfall and real-time applications. Moreover, the paper provides examples of urban hydrological applications which can benefit from radar rainfall data in comparison to tradition rain gauge measurements of rainfall.
Claudio I. Meier, Jorge Sebastián Moraga, Geri Pranzini, and Peter Molnar
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 20, 4177–4190, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-20-4177-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-20-4177-2016, 2016
Short summary
Short summary
We show that the derived distribution approach is able to characterize the interannual variability of precipitation much better than fitting a probabilistic model to annual rainfall totals, as long as continuously gauged data are available. The method is a useful tool for describing temporal changes in the distribution of annual rainfall, as it works for records as short as 5 years, and therefore does not require any stationarity assumption over long periods.
Bahareh Kianfar, Simone Fatichi, Athansios Paschalis, Max Maurer, and Peter Molnar
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci. Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-2016-536, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-2016-536, 2016
Revised manuscript has not been submitted
Short summary
Short summary
Raingauge observations show a large variability in extreme rainfall depths in the current climate. Climate model predictions of extreme rainfall in the future have to be compared with this natural variability. Our work shows that predictions of future extreme rainfall often lie within the range of natural variability of present-day climate, and therefore predictions of change are highly uncertain. We demonstrate this by using stochastic rainfall models and 10-min rainfall data in Switzerland.
David Leutwyler, Oliver Fuhrer, Xavier Lapillonne, Daniel Lüthi, and Christoph Schär
Geosci. Model Dev., 9, 3393–3412, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-9-3393-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-9-3393-2016, 2016
Short summary
Short summary
The representation of moist convection (thunderstorms and rain showers) in climate models represents a major challenge, as this process is usually approximated due to the lack of appropriate computational resolution. Climate simulations using horizontal resolution of O(1 km) allow one to explicitly resolve deep convection and thus allow for an improved representation of the water cycle. We present a set of such simulations covering the European scale using a climate model enabled for GPUs.
Matteo Saletti, Peter Molnar, Marwan A. Hassan, and Paolo Burlando
Earth Surf. Dynam., 4, 549–566, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-4-549-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-4-549-2016, 2016
Short summary
Short summary
This study presents a new reduced-complexity model with few parameters linked to basic physical processes, which aims to reproduce the transport of sediment as bed load and the formation and stability of channel morphology in steep mountain streams. The model is able to simulate the formation and stability of steps, bed structures commonly encountered in steep channels, by assuming that their formation is due to intense sediment transport during high flows causing jamming of particles.
J. Hall, B. Arheimer, G. T. Aronica, A. Bilibashi, M. Boháč, O. Bonacci, M. Borga, P. Burlando, A. Castellarin, G. B. Chirico, P. Claps, K. Fiala, L. Gaál, L. Gorbachova, A. Gül, J. Hannaford, A. Kiss, T. Kjeldsen, S. Kohnová, J. J. Koskela, N. Macdonald, M. Mavrova-Guirguinova, O. Ledvinka, L. Mediero, B. Merz, R. Merz, P. Molnar, A. Montanari, M. Osuch, J. Parajka, R. A. P. Perdigão, I. Radevski, B. Renard, M. Rogger, J. L. Salinas, E. Sauquet, M. Šraj, J. Szolgay, A. Viglione, E. Volpi, D. Wilson, K. Zaimi, and G. Blöschl
Proc. IAHS, 370, 89–95, https://doi.org/10.5194/piahs-370-89-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/piahs-370-89-2015, 2015
P. Molnar, S. Fatichi, L. Gaál, J. Szolgay, and P. Burlando
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 19, 1753–1766, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-19-1753-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-19-1753-2015, 2015
Short summary
Short summary
We present an empirical study of the rates of increase in precipitation intensity with air temperature using high-resolution 10 min precipitation records in Switzerland. We estimated the scaling rates for lightning (convective) and non-lightning event subsets and show that scaling rates are between 7 and 14%/C for convective rain and that mixing of storm types exaggerates the relations to air temperature. Doubled CC rates reported by other studies are an exception in our data set.
K. Džubáková, P. Molnar, K. Schindler, and M. Trizna
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 19, 195–208, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-19-195-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-19-195-2015, 2015
Short summary
Short summary
We use a high-resolution ground-based camera system with near-infrared sensitivity to quantify the response of riparian vegetation in an Alpine river to floods with the use of vegetation indices. The vegetation showed both damage and enhancement within 1 week following floods, with a selective impact determined by pre-flood vegetation vigour, morphological setting and intensity of flood forcing. The tested vegetation indices differed in the direction of predicted change in the range 0.7-35.8%.
J. Hall, B. Arheimer, M. Borga, R. Brázdil, P. Claps, A. Kiss, T. R. Kjeldsen, J. Kriaučiūnienė, Z. W. Kundzewicz, M. Lang, M. C. Llasat, N. Macdonald, N. McIntyre, L. Mediero, B. Merz, R. Merz, P. Molnar, A. Montanari, C. Neuhold, J. Parajka, R. A. P. Perdigão, L. Plavcová, M. Rogger, J. L. Salinas, E. Sauquet, C. Schär, J. Szolgay, A. Viglione, and G. Blöschl
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 18, 2735–2772, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-18-2735-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-18-2735-2014, 2014
S. Kotlarski, K. Keuler, O. B. Christensen, A. Colette, M. Déqué, A. Gobiet, K. Goergen, D. Jacob, D. Lüthi, E. van Meijgaard, G. Nikulin, C. Schär, C. Teichmann, R. Vautard, K. Warrach-Sagi, and V. Wulfmeyer
Geosci. Model Dev., 7, 1297–1333, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-7-1297-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-7-1297-2014, 2014
L. Gaál, P. Molnar, and J. Szolgay
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 18, 1561–1573, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-18-1561-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-18-1561-2014, 2014
Related subject area
Boundary-layer dynamics incl. coupling to land, ocean and ice
Exploring the daytime boundary layer evolution based on Doppler spectrum width from multiple coplanar wind lidars during CROSSINN
Forcing for varying boundary layer stability across Antarctica
Variations in boundary layer stability across Antarctica: a comparison between coastal and interior sites
Adverse impact of terrain steepness on thermally driven initiation of orographic convection
Effects on early monsoon rainfall in West Africa due to recent deforestation in a convection-permitting ensemble
Benefits and challenges of dynamic sea ice for weather forecasts
Extratropical-cyclone-induced sea surface temperature anomalies in the 2013–2014 winter
Nevio Babić, Bianca Adler, Alexander Gohm, Manuela Lehner, and Norbert Kalthoff
Weather Clim. Dynam., 5, 609–631, https://doi.org/10.5194/wcd-5-609-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/wcd-5-609-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Day-to-day weather over mountains remains a significant challenge in the domain of weather forecast. Using a combination of measurements from several instrument platforms, including Doppler lidars, aircraft, and radiosondes, we developed a method that relies primarily on turbulence characteristics of the lowest layers of the atmosphere. As a result, we identified new ways in which atmosphere behaves over mountains during daytime, which may serve to further improve forecasting capabilities.
Mckenzie J. Dice, John J. Cassano, and Gina C. Jozef
Weather Clim. Dynam., 5, 369–394, https://doi.org/10.5194/wcd-5-369-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/wcd-5-369-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
This study aims to identify the main reasonings for changes in boundary layer stability, namely changes in radiative forcing or mechanical mixing (wind shear). Across the continent of Antarctica, varying stability in the boundary layer is affected by many different forces, and this study seeks to characterize the main forcing mechanisms for these variations in stability across Antarctica, annually and seasonally.
Mckenzie J. Dice, John J. Cassano, Gina C. Jozef, and Mark Seefeldt
Weather Clim. Dynam., 4, 1045–1069, https://doi.org/10.5194/wcd-4-1045-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/wcd-4-1045-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
This study documents boundary layer stability profiles, from the surface to 500 m above ground level, present in radiosonde observations across the Antarctic continent. A boundary layer stability definition method is developed and applied to the radiosonde observations to determine the frequency and seasonality of stability regimes. It is found that, in the continental interior, strong stability is dominant throughout most of the year, while stability is more varied at coastal locations.
Matthias Göbel, Stefano Serafin, and Mathias W. Rotach
Weather Clim. Dynam., 4, 725–745, https://doi.org/10.5194/wcd-4-725-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/wcd-4-725-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
On summer days over mountains, upslope winds transport moist air towards mountain tops and beyond, making local rain showers more likely. We use idealized simulations to investigate how mountain steepness affects this mechanism. We find that steeper mountains lead to a delayed onset and lower intensity of the storms, because less moisture accumulates over the ridges and the thermal updraft zone at the top is narrower and thus more prone to the intrusion of dry air from the environment.
Julia Crook, Cornelia Klein, Sonja Folwell, Christopher M. Taylor, Douglas J. Parker, Adama Bamba, and Kouakou Kouadio
Weather Clim. Dynam., 4, 229–248, https://doi.org/10.5194/wcd-4-229-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/wcd-4-229-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
We estimate recent deforestation in West Africa and use a climate model allowing explicit convection to determine impacts on early season rainfall. We find enhanced rainfall over deforestation, in line with recent observational results, due to changes in circulation rather than humidity, showing potential for future studies. Local changes depend on initial soil moisture, deforestation extent, and ocean proximity, with sea breezes shifting inland where surface friction decreased.
Jonathan J. Day, Sarah Keeley, Gabriele Arduini, Linus Magnusson, Kristian Mogensen, Mark Rodwell, Irina Sandu, and Steffen Tietsche
Weather Clim. Dynam., 3, 713–731, https://doi.org/10.5194/wcd-3-713-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/wcd-3-713-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
A recent drive to develop seamless forecasting systems has culminated in the development of weather forecasting systems that include a coupled representation of the atmosphere, ocean and sea ice. Before this, sea ice and sea surface temperature anomalies were typically fixed throughout a given forecast. We show that the dynamic coupling is most beneficial during periods of rapid ice advance, where persistence is a poor forecast of the sea ice and leads to large errors in the uncoupled system.
Helen F. Dacre, Simon A. Josey, and Alan L. M. Grant
Weather Clim. Dynam., 1, 27–44, https://doi.org/10.5194/wcd-1-27-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/wcd-1-27-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
The 2013–2014 winter sea surface temperature (SST) was anomalously cool in the mid-North Atlantic region. We investigate the processes by which cyclones can lead to SST cooling and their contribution towards the 2013–2014 SST anomaly. We find that cyclones induce a cold wake, which extends along the cyclones' cold front. Cyclones account for over 40 % of the observed cooling in the mid-North Atlantic. Thus, cyclones play a major role in determining the extreme 2013–2014 winter SST cooling.
Cited articles
Abramovich, F., Bailey, T. C., and Sapatinas, T.: Wavelet Analysis and its Statistical Applications, J. Roy. Stat. Soc. D-Sta, 49, 1–29, https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-9884.00216, 2000. a
Azevedo, C. C., Camargo, C. M. L., Alves, J., and Caldeira, R. M. A.: Convection and Heat Transfer in Island (Warm) Wakes, J. Phys. Oceanogr., 51, 1187–1203, https://doi.org/10.1175/jpo-d-20-0103.1, 2020. a, b
Baldauf, M., Seifert, A., Förstner, J., Majewski, D., Raschendorfer, M., and Reinhardt, T.: Operational Convective-Scale Numerical Weather Prediction with the COSMO Model: Description and Sensitivities, Mon. Weather Rev., 139, 3887–3905, https://doi.org/10.1175/MWR-D-10-05013.1, 2011. a
Ban, N., Schmidli, J., and Schär, C.: Evaluation of the convection-resolving regional climate modeling approach in decade-long simulations, J. Geophys. Res.-Atmos., 119, 7889–7907, https://doi.org/10.1002/2014JD021478, 2014. a
Ban, N., Schmidli, J., and Schär, C.: Heavy precipitation in a changing climate: Does short-term summer precipitation increase faster?, Geophys. Res. Lett., 42, 1165–1172, https://doi.org/10.1002/2014GL062588, 2015. a
Ban, N., Rajczak, J., Schmidli, J., and Schär, C.: Analysis of Alpine precipitation extremes using generalized extreme value theory in convection-resolving climate simulations, Clim. Dynam., 55, 61–75, https://doi.org/10.1007/s00382-018-4339-4, 2020. a
Bretherton, C. S.: Insights into low-latitude cloud feedbacks from high-resolution models, Philos. T. Roy. Soc. A, 373, 1–19, https://doi.org/10.1098/RSTA.2014.0415, 2015. a
Caldeira, R. M. and Tomé, R.: Wake Response to an Ocean-Feedback Mechanism: Madeira Island Case Study, Bound.-Lay. Meteorol., 148, 419–436, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10546-013-9817-y, 2013. a
Carrillo, J., Guerra, J. C., Cuevas, E., and Barrancos, J.: Characterization of the Marine Boundary Layer and the Trade-Wind Inversion over the Sub-tropical North Atlantic, Bound.-Lay. Meteorol., 158, 311–330, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10546-015-0081-1, 2016. a, b
CDS: Welcome to the Climate Data Store, https://cds.climate.copernicus.eu, last access: 31 January 2023. a
Cormen, T. H., Leiserson, C. E., Rivest, R. L., and Stein, C.: Data structures for disjoint sets, in: Introduction to Algorithms, 2nd Edn., chap. 21, MIT Press, 498–524, ISBN 9780262531962, 2001. a
Couvelard, X., Caldeira, R. M., Araújo, I. B., and Tomé, R.: Wind mediated vorticity-generation and eddy-confinement, leeward of the Madeira Island: 2008 numerical case study, Dynam. Atmos. Oceans, 58, 128–149, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dynatmoce.2012.09.005, 2012. a
Cropper, T.: The weather and climate of Macaronesia: past, present and future, Weather, 68, 300–307, https://doi.org/10.1002/wea.2155, 2013. a, b
Cropper, T. E. and Hanna, E.: An analysis of the climate of Macaronesia, 1865–2012, Int. J. Climatol., 34, 604–622, https://doi.org/10.1002/joc.3710, 2014. a
Davis, R. E., Hayden, B. P., Gay, D. A., Phillips, W. L., and Jones, G. V.: The North Atlantic Subtropical Anticyclone, J. Climate, 10, 728–744, https://doi.org/10.1175/1520-0442(1997)010<0728:TNASA>2.0.CO;2, 1997. a, b
Dee, D. P., Uppala, S. M., Simmons, A. J., Berrisford, P., Poli, P., Kobayashi, S., Andrae, U., Balmaseda, M. A., Balsamo, G., Bauer, P., Bechtold, P., Beljaars, A. C. M., van de Berg, L., Bidlot, J., Bormann, N., Delsol, C., Dragani, R., Fuentes, M., Geer, A. J., Haimberger, L., Healy, S. B., Hersbach, H., Hólm, E. V., Isaksen, L., Kållberg, P., Köhler, M., Matricardi, M., McNally, A. P., Monge-Sanz, B. M., Morcrette, J.-J., Park, B.-K., Peubey, C., de Rosnay, P., Tavolato, C., Thépaut, J.-N., and Vitart, F.: The ERA-Interim reanalysis: configuration and performance of the data assimilation system, Q. J. Roy. Meteor. Soc., 137, 553–597, https://doi.org/10.1002/qj.828, 2011. a, b
Doglioli, A. M., Blanke, B., Speich, S., and Lapeyre, G.: Tracking coherent structures in a regional ocean model with wavelet analysis: Application to Cape Basin eddies, J. Geophys. Res.-Oceans, 112, C05043, https://doi.org/10.1029/2006JC003952, 2007. a
Domingues, M. O., Mendes, O., and Da Costa, A. M.: On wavelet techniques in atmospheric sciences, Adv. Space Res., 35, 831–842, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.asr.2005.02.097, 2005. a
Durran, D. R.: Mountain Waves and Downslope Winds, in: Atmospheric Processes over Complex Terrain, American Meteorological Society, 59–81, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-935704-25-6_4, 1990. a
Durre, I. and Yin, X.: Enhanced radiosonde data for studies of vertical structure, B. Am. Meteorol. Soc., 89, 1257–1262, 2008. a
Durre, I., Vose, R. S., and Wuertz, D. B.: Overview of the integrated global radiosonde archive, J. Climate, 19, 53–68, https://doi.org/10.1175/JCLI3594.1, 2006. a
EEA: SDI – geospatial data catalogue, https://sdi.eea.europa.eu, last access: 31 January 2023. a
Epifanio, C. C.: Mountain Meteorology: Lee Vortices, in: Encyclopedia of Atmospheric Sciences, 2nd edn., Elsevier Inc., 84–94, https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-382225-3.00241-3, 2015. a, b
Etling, D.: On atmospheric vortex streets in the wake of large islands, Meteorol. Atmos. Phys., 41, 157–164, https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01043134, 1989. a, b, c, d
Etling, D.: An unusual atmospheric vortex street, Environ. Fluid Mech., 19, 1379–1391, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10652-018-09654-w, 2019. a, b
EUMETSAT: Data Services, https://navigator.eumetsat.int (last access: 31 January 2023), 2023a. a
EUMETSAT: Supporting the use of satellite data for NWP, https://nwp-saf.eumetsat.int (last access: 31 January 2023), 2023b. a
Figa-Saldaña, J., Wilson, J. J., Attema, E., Gelsthorpe, R., Drinkwater, M. R., and Stoffelen, A.: The advanced scatterometer (ASCAT) on the meteorological operational (MetOp) platform: A follow on for european wind scatterometers, Can. J. Remote Sens., 28, 404–412, https://doi.org/10.5589/m02-035, 2002. a
Fragoso, M., Trigo, R. M., Pinto, J. G., Lopes, S., Lopes, A., Ulbrich, S., and Magro, C.: The 20 February 2010 Madeira flash-floods: synoptic analysis and extreme rainfall assessment, Nat. Hazards Earth Syst. Sci., 12, 715–730, https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-12-715-2012, 2012. a
Fuhrer, O., Osuna, C., Lapillonne, X., Gysi, T., Cumming, B., Bianco, M., Arteaga, A., and Schulthess, T. C.: Towards a performance portable, architecture agnostic implementation strategy for weather and climate models, Supercomput. Front. Innov., 1, 45–62, https://doi.org/10.14529/jsfi140103, 2014. a
Fuhrer, O., Chadha, T., Hoefler, T., Kwasniewski, G., Lapillonne, X., Leutwyler, D., Lüthi, D., Osuna, C., Schär, C., Schulthess, T. C., and Vogt, H.: Near-global climate simulation at 1 km resolution: establishing a performance baseline on 4888 GPUs with COSMO 5.0, Geosci. Model Dev., 11, 1665–1681, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-11-1665-2018, 2018. a
GADM: Maps and data, https://gadm.org/, last access: 31 January 2023. a
Gao, Q.: Analysis code for the manuscript “Vortex streets to the lee of Madeira in a kilometre-resolution regional climate model”, GitHub [code], https://github.com/l975421700/DEoAI_analysis, last access: 31 January 2023. a
Grubišić, V., Sachsperger, J., and Caldeira, R. M. A.: Atmospheric Wake of Madeira: First Aerial Observations and Numerical Simulations, J. Atmos. Sci., 72, 4755–4776, https://doi.org/10.1175/JAS-D-14-0251.1, 2015. a, b, c, d
Hersbach, H., Bell, B., Berrisford, P., Hirahara, S., Horányi, A., Muñoz-Sabater, J., Nicolas, J., Peubey, C., Radu, R., Schepers, D., Simmons, A., Soci, C., Abdalla, S., Abellan, X., Balsamo, G., Bechtold, P., Biavati, G., Bidlot, J., Bonavita, M., De Chiara, G., Dahlgren, P., Dee, D., Diamantakis, M., Dragani, R., Flemming, J., Forbes, R., Fuentes, M., Geer, A., Haimberger, L., Healy, S., Hogan, R. J., Hólm, E., Janisková, M., Keeley, S., Laloyaux, P., Lopez, P., Lupu, C., Radnoti, G., de Rosnay, P., Rozum, I., Vamborg, F., Villaume, S., and Thépaut, J.-N.: The ERA5 global reanalysis, Q. J. Roy. Meteor. Soc., 146, 1999–2049, https://doi.org/10.1002/qj.3803, 2020. a
Horváth, Á., Bresky, W., Daniels, J., Vogelzang, J., Stoffelen, A., Carr, J. L., Wu, D. L., Seethala, C., Günther, T., and Buehler, S. A.: Evolution of an Atmospheric Kármán Vortex Street From High-Resolution Satellite Winds: Guadalupe Island Case Study, J. Geophys. Res.-Atmos., 125, e2019JD032121, https://doi.org/10.1029/2019JD032121, 2020. a, b
Hunt, J. C. and Snyder, W. H.: Experiments on stably and neutrally stratified flow over a model three-dimensional hill, J. Fluid Mech., 96, 671–704, https://doi.org/10.1017/S0022112080002303, 1980. a
Ito, J. and Niino, H.: Atmospheric Kármán Vortex Shedding from Jeju Island, East China Sea: A Numerical Study, Mon. Weather Rev., 144, 139–148, https://doi.org/10.1175/MWR-D-14-00406.1, 2015. a
Jawerth, B. and Sweldens, W.: An overview of wavelet based multiresolution analyses, SIAM Rev., 36, 377–412, https://doi.org/10.1137/1036095, 1994. a
Kahl, J. D.: Characteristics of the low-level temperature inversion along the Alaskan Arctic coast, Int. J. Climatol., 10, 537–548, https://doi.org/10.1002/joc.3370100509, 1990. a
Kármán, T. V.: On the mechanism of the drag a moving body experiences in a fluid, Prog. Aerosp. Sci., 59, 13–15, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paerosci.2013.03.004, 2013. a, b
Klemp, J. B., Dudhia, J., and Hassiotis, A. D.: An Upper Gravity-Wave Absorbing Layer for NWP Applications, Mon. Weather Rev., 136, 3987–4004, https://doi.org/10.1175/2008MWR2596.1, 2008. a
Luna, T., Rocha, A., Carvalho, A. C., Ferreira, J. A., and Sousa, J.: Modelling the extreme precipitation event over Madeira Island on 20 February 2010, Nat. Hazards Earth Syst. Sci., 11, 2437–2452, https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-11-2437-2011, 2011. a
McWilliams, J. C.: The vortices of two-dimensional turbulence, J. Fluid Mech., 219, 361–385, https://doi.org/10.1017/S0022112090002981, 1990. a, b
NASA: LAADS DAAC, https://ladsweb.modaps.eosdis.nasa.gov, last access: 30 January 2023. a
Natural Earth: Coastline, https://www.naturalearthdata.com/, last access: 30 January 2023. a
Nencioli, F., Dong, C., Dickey, T., Washburn, L., and McWilliams, J. C.: A vector geometry-based eddy detection algorithm and its application to a high-resolution numerical model product and high-frequency radar surface velocities in the Southern California Bight, J. Atmos. Ocean. Tech., 27, 564–579, https://doi.org/10.1175/2009JTECHO725.1, 2010. a, b
NOAA: National Centers for Environmental Information, https://www.ncei.noaa.gov, last access: 31 January 2023. a
Nunalee, C. G. and Basu, S.: On the periodicity of atmospheric von Kármán vortex streets, Environ. Fluid Mech., 14, 1335–1355, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10652-014-9340-9, 2014. a, b
Nunalee, C. G., He, P., Basu, S., Minet, J., and Vorontsov, M. A.: Mapping optical ray trajectories through island wake vortices, Meteorol. Atmos. Phys., 127, 355–368, https://doi.org/10.1007/s00703-015-0366-4, 2015. a
Ramos, A. M., Trigo, R. M., Tomé, R., and Liberato, M. L. R.: Impacts of Atmospheric Rivers in Extreme Precipitation on the European Macaronesian Islands, Atmosphere, 9, 325, https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos9080325, 2018. a
Reynolds, D.: Gaussian Mixture Models, in: Encyclopedia of Biometrics, Springer US, Boston, MA, 827–832, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-7488-4_196, 2015. a
Rockel, B., Will, A., and Hense, A.: The Regional Climate Model COSMO-CLM (CCLM), Meteorol. Z., 17, 347–348, https://doi.org/10.1127/0941-2948/2008/0309, 2008. a
Romps, D. M.: Exact expression for the lifting condensation level, J. Atmos. Sci., 74, 3891–3900, https://doi.org/10.1175/JAS-D-17-0102.1, 2017. a
Rotunno, R., Grubišić, V., and Smolarkiewicz, P. K.: Vorticity and Potential Vorticity in Mountain Wakes, J. Atmos. Sci., 56, 2796–2810, https://doi.org/10.1175/1520-0469(1999)056<2796:VAPVIM>2.0.CO;2, 1999. a
Ruppert-Felsot, J. E., Praud, O., Sharon, E., and Swinney, H. L.: Extraction of coherent structures in a rotating turbulent flow experiment, Phys. Rev. E, 72, 16311, https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevE.72.016311, 2005. a, b
Savtchenko, A., Ouzounov, D., Ahmad, S., Acker, J., Leptoukh, G., Koziana, J., and Nickless, D.: Terra and Aqua MODIS products available from NASA GES DAAC, Adv. Space Res., 34, 710–714, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.asr.2004.03.012, 2004. a
Schär, C.: A Generalization of Bernoulli's Theorem, J. Atmos. Sci., 50, 1437–1443, https://doi.org/10.1175/1520-0469(1993)050<1437:AGOBT>2.0.CO;2, 1993. a
Schär, C. and Durran, D. R.: Vortex Formation and Vortex Shedding in Continuously Stratified Flows past Isolated Topography, J. Atmos. Sci., 54, 534–554, https://doi.org/10.1175/1520-0469(1997)054<0534:VFAVSI>2.0.CO;2, 1997. a, b, c, d
Schär, C. and Smith, R. B.: Shallow-Water Flow past Isolated Topography. Part I: Vorticity Production and Wake Formation, J. Atmos. Sci., 50, 1373–1400, https://doi.org/10.1175/1520-0469(1993)050<1373:SWFPIT>2.0.CO;2, 1993a. a
Schär, C. and Smith, R. B.: Shallow-Water Flow past Isolated Topography. Part II: Transition to Vortex Shedding, J. Atmos. Sci., 50, 1401–1412, https://doi.org/10.1175/1520-0469(1993)050<1401:SWFPIT>2.0.CO;2, 1993b. a
Schär, C., Sprenger, M., Lüthi, D., Jiang, Q., Smith, R. B., and Benoit, R.: Structure and dynamics of an Alpine potential-vorticity banner, Q. J. Roy. Meteor. Soc., 129, 825–855, https://doi.org/10.1256/qj.02.47, 2003. a
Schielicke, L., Névir, P., and Ulbrich, U.: Kinematic vorticity number – a tool for estimating vortex sizes and circulations, Tellus A, 68, 29464, https://doi.org/10.3402/TELLUSA.V68.29464, 2016. a
Schmetz, J., Pili, P., Tjemkes, S., Just, D., Kerkmann, J., Rota, S., and Ratier, A.: An introduction to Meteosat Second Generation (MSG), B. Am. Meteorol. Soc., 83, 977–992, https://doi.org/10.1175/1520-0477(2002)083<0977:AITMSG>2.3.CO;2, 2002. a, b
Schneider, T., Kaul, C. M., and Pressel, K. G.: Possible climate transitions from breakup of stratocumulus decks under greenhouse warming, Nat. Geosci., 12, 163–167, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-019-0310-1, 2019. a
Sheppard, P. A.: Airflow over mountains, Q. J. Roy. Meteor. Soc., 82, 528–529, https://doi.org/10.1002/qj.49708235418, 1956. a, b
Siegel, A. and Weiss, J. B.: A wavelet-packet census algorithm for calculating vortex statistics, Phys. Fluids, 9, 1988–1999, https://doi.org/10.1063/1.869318, 1997. a
Smith, R. B. and Gronas, S.: Stagnation points and bifurcation in 3-D mountain airflow, Tellus A, 45, 28–43, https://doi.org/10.3402/TELLUSA.V45I1.14840, 1993. a
Smith, R. B. and Grubišić, V.: Aerial Observations of Hawaii's Wake, J. Atmos. Sci., 50, 3728–3750, https://doi.org/10.1175/1520-0469(1993)050<3728:AOOHW>2.0.CO;2, 1993. a, b
Smolarkiewicz, P. K. and Rotunno, R.: Low Froude number flow past three-dimensional obstacles. Part I: baroclinically generated lee vortices, J. Atmos. Sci., 46, 1154–1164, https://doi.org/10.1175/1520-0469(1989)046<1154:LFNFPT>2.0.CO;2, 1989. a
Snyder, W. H., Thompson, R. S., Eskridge, R. E., Lawson, R. E., Castro, I. P., Lee, J. T., Hunt, J. C. R., and Ogawa, Y.: The structure of strongly stratified flow over hills: dividing-streamline concept, J. Fluid Mech., 152, 249–288, https://doi.org/10.1017/S0022112085000684, 1985.
a
Tsuchiya, K.: The Clouds with the Shape of Karman Vortex Street in the Wake of Cheju Island, Korea, J. Meteorol. Soc. Jpn. Ser. II, 47, 457–465, https://doi.org/10.2151/jmsj1965.47.6_457, 1969. a, b
Visbeck, M. H., Hurrell, J. W., Polvani, L., and Cullen, H. M.: The North Atlantic oscillation: Past, present, and future, P. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 98, 12876–12877, https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.231391598, 2001. a
Vogelzang, J., Stoffelen, A., Lindsley, R. D., Verhoef, A., and Verspeek, J.: The ASCAT 6.25-km Wind Product, IEEE J. Sel. Top. Appl., 10, 2321–2331, https://doi.org/10.1109/JSTARS.2016.2623862, 2017. a
Wang, S.-H., Zhang, Y.-D., Dong, Z., and Phillips, P.: Wavelet Families and Variants, in: Brain Informatics and Health, Springer, Singapore, 85–104, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-4026-9_6, 2018. a
Wicker, L. J. and Skamarock, W. C.: Time-splitting methods for elastic models using forward time schemes, Mon. Weather Rev., 130, 2088–2097, https://doi.org/10.1175/1520-0493(2002)130<2088:TSMFEM>2.0.CO;2, 2002. a
Wickerhauser, M. V.: Adapted Wavelet Analysis From Theory to Software, A K Peters/CRC Press, New York, https://doi.org/10.1201/9781439863619, 1996. a
Yang, C., Zhao, H., Bruzzone, L., Benediktsson, J. A., Liang, Y., Liu, B., Zeng, X., Guan, R., Li, C., and Ouyang, Z.: Lunar impact crater identification and age estimation with Chang'E data by deep and transfer learning, Nat. Commun., 11, 6358, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-20215-y, 2020. a
Young, G. S. and Zawislak, J.: An Observational Study of Vortex Spacing in Island Wake Vortex Streets, Mon. Weather Rev., 134, 2285–2294, https://doi.org/10.1175/MWR3186.1, 2006. a, b, c
Zeman, C. and Canton, J.: zemanc/identify_cells: v1.0.0 (v1.0.0), Zenodo [code], https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7506042, 2023. a
Short summary
We developed a vortex identification algorithm for realistic atmospheric simulations. The algorithm enabled us to obtain a climatology of vortex shedding from Madeira Island for a 10-year simulation period. This first objective climatological analysis of vortex streets shows consistency with observed atmospheric conditions. The analysis shows a pronounced annual cycle with an increasing vortex shedding rate from April to August and a sudden decrease in September.
We developed a vortex identification algorithm for realistic atmospheric simulations. The...
