Validation and Analysis of Ocean Variability in the North Atlantic Subpolar Gyre Simulated by a High-resolution CONCEPTS Regional Model

Simon Higginson1, Jean-Philippe Paquin1, Youyu Lu2, Fraser J M Davidson3, Frederic Dupont4 and Gregory Smith5, (1)Bedford Institute of Oceanography, Dartmouth, NS, Canada, (2)Bedford Inst of Oceanography, Dartmouth, NS, Canada, (3)Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Centre, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, St. John's, NF, Canada, (4)Environment and Climate Change Canada, Dorval, QC, Canada, (5)Meteorological Research Division, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Dorval, QC, Canada
Abstract:
High-resolution ocean and sea-ice forecast models for the Arctic and North Atlantic have been developed by the Canadian inter-departmental CONCEPTS program. The models are based on the Nucleus of European Modelling of the Ocean (NEMO). Several hindcast simulations have been completed for the period 2003-2009, with atmospheric forcing taken from the Canadian Global Deterministic Forecast System Reforecasts. In situ and satellite observations of the ocean and sea ice have been collected in order to develop a validation package that can be used to assess the performance of the model and the impact of model improvements. In this presentation we will examine aspects of the interannual variability simulated by the model for the North Atlantic subpolar gyre. Biases in the simulation are identified, and their impact on ocean processes, such as deep convection, will be discussed.
Back to: Climate Trends, Hydrographic Variability, Circulation, and Air-Land-Sea Interactions in the Marginal Seas of the North Atlantic II