Effects of Horizontal Resolution on Hourly Precipitation in AGCM Simulations

Abstract

AbstractTo analyze the effects of horizontal resolution on hourly precipitation, four Atmospheric Model Intercomparison Project simulations are carried out using the Chinese Academy of Sciences Earth System Model (CAS-ESM) and the Community Earth System Model (CESM) during 1998–2016. They include CAS-ESM at resolutions of 1.4° latitude × 1.4° longitude (CAS-ESM L) and 0.5° × 0.5° (CAS-ESM H), and CESM at resolutions of 1.9° latitude × 2.5° longitude (CESM L) and 0.47° × 0.63° (CESM H), respectively. We focus on the simulated hourly precipitation frequency and assess the frequency with respect to high-resolution satellite observations and reanalysis. The high-resolution experiments show some improvements of measurable precipitation (>0.02 mm h−1) frequency. Noticeable improvement of heavy rainfall (>2 mm h−1) frequency is demonstrated at the high resolutions. The zonal mean, seasonal mean, and area-weighted average frequency support the above results. The high-resolution experiments outperform the low-resolution experiments in reproducing hourly precipitation intensity and amount. The added value is apparent in heavy precipitation intensity from CAS-ESM H and CESM H. Over the monsoon regions and tropical convergence zones, the patterns of probability density functions for precipitation from high-resolution experiments are closer to the observations and reanalysis than those from the low-resolution simulations. The improvement of measurable precipitation frequency is mainly caused by the reductions of the convective rainfall occurrence at high resolutions. The increasing large-scale precipitation and reasonable integrated water vapor flux contribute to the improvements in measurable rainfall intensity and heavy precipitation characteristics. The results of this study support the concept that high-resolution global simulations could produce improved hourly precipitation capabilities, especially for heavy rainfall.