What can be learned from 'sensitivity studies' with General Ciculation Models?
Professor Carlos Roberto MechosoDepartment of Atmospheric Sciences University of California, Los Angeles
Monday november 6, 11h CERFACS Conference Room.
General circulation models of the atmosphere and oceans have been providing numerical simulations of the climate system with ever increasing realism and detail. This ability has motivated a style of experimentation based on assessing the impact on the system of altering the model's set up. Sometimes this is done in the expectation that set up changes will eliminate a model systematic error.
In this presentation we present three examples of sensitivity studies with the UCLA GCM. The first addresses the role of orography on the seasonal cycle of stratocumulus in the tropical oceans. The second example examines the impact of stratocumulus on the global climate system. The last example focuses on the sensitivity of the South Atlantic anticyclone to surface conditions over Africa and South America.
We argue that while these sensitivity experiments provide useful insights on the climate system, their importance for elimination of model errors can be minimal.
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