Stretched-grid Model Intercomparison Project: decadal regional climate simulations with enhanced variable and uniform-resolution GCMs

SummaryVariable-resolution GCMs using a global stretched-grid (SG) with enhanced resolution over the region(s) of interest is an established approach to regional climate modeling providing an efficient means for regional down-scaling to mesoscales. This approach has been used since the early-mid 90s by the French, U.S., Canadian, Australian and other climate modeling groups along with, or as an alternative to, the current widely-used nested-grid approach. Stretched-grid GCMs are used for continuous climate simulations as usual GCMs, with the only difference that variable-resolution grids are used instead of more traditional uniform grids. The important advantages of variable-resolution stretched-grid GCMs are that they do not require any lateral boundary conditions/forcing and are free of the associated undesirable computational problems. As a result, stretched-grid GCMs provide self-consistent interactions between global and regional scales while a high quality of global circulation is preserved, as in uniform-grid GCMs.The international SGMIP-2 (Stretched-Grid Model Intercomparison Project, phase-2) includes 25-year (1979–2003) climate simulations using enhanced variable and uniform-resolution GCMs developed at major centers/groups in Australia, Canada, France, and the U.S. The SGMIP-2 regional (North American) and global products are available as a link of the WMO/WCRP/WGNE web site: http://collaboration.cmc.ec.gc.ca/science/wgne. The SGMIP-2 multi-model regional ensembles compare well with reanalysis and observations, in terms of spatial and temporal diagnostics. Regional biases are mostly limited to about half (or less) of typical observational or reanalysis errors while a high quality of global circulation is preserved. SGMIP-2 was endorsed by the WMO/WCRP/WGNE at its annual meetings in 2004–2007.

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