Evaluation of the NCEP–NCAR and ECMWF 15- and 40-Yr Reanalyses Using Rawinsonde Data from Two Independent Arctic Field Experiments*

Abstract

Abstract Many aspects of reanalysis data are of high quality over regions with sufficiently dense data, but the accuracy is uncertain over areas with sparse observations. NCEP–NCAR reanalysis (NNR) and ECMWF 15/40-Yr Re-Analysis (ERA-15 and ERA-40) variables are compared to two independent rawinsonde datasets from the periphery of the Arctic Ocean during the late 1980s and early 1990s: the Coordinated Eastern Arctic Research Experiment (CEAREX) and the Lead Experiment (LeadEx). The study is prompted by J. A. Francis who found that the NNR and ERA-15 upper-level winds are very different from those observed during these two field experiments. All three reanalyses display large biases in comparisons of the wind components and wind speeds with CEAREX observations, particularly above the 500-hPa level, but exhibit smaller discrepancies with respect to the LeadEx data, generally consistent with the previous findings of J. A. Francis. However, all three reanalyses well capture the wind variability during both experiment periods. For the geopotential height, temperature, and moisture fields, the reanalyses demonstrate close agreement with the CEAREX rawinsonde observations. From comparisons with surrounding fixed rawinsonde stations and examination of the average vertical wind speed shear, it is concluded that the CEAREX upper-level wind speeds (especially above the 500-hPa level) are erroneous and average about half of the actual values. Thus, this evaluation suggests that the three reanalyses perform reliably for tropospheric-state variables from the edge of the Arctic Ocean during the modern satellite era.