Dynamical downscaling to resolve spatial difference of sea level change in the Northwestern Pacific marginal seas

Yong-Yub Kim, Seoul National University, Seoul, South Korea, Yang-Ki Cho, Seoul National University, School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Seoul, South Korea, Kwang Young Jeong, Korea Hydrographic and Oceanographic Agency, Research Div., Busan, South Korea and Eunil Lee, Korea Hydrographic and Oceanographic Agency, Busan, South Korea
Abstract:
Various Global Ocean Climate Models (GOCMs) have been used to predict sea level and temperature changes due to global warming. However most of GOCMs could not resolve complicate topography and reproduce currents in the Northwestern Pacific marginal seas due to coarse resolution. To improve the resolution, regional ocean climate ocean model (ROCM) with GOCMs providing the lateral and surface boundary conditions during 1980 ~ 2008. The regional ocean model used in this study is the Regional Ocean Modeling System (ROMS). The resolution of ROCM is 6 km horizontally and 40 layers vertically. To improve long-term predictability of sea level change, we conducted experiment with boundary forcings of SODA and ECMWF Interim for open and surface boundaries, respectively. Reconstructed sea level data from PO.DAAC were imposed along the open boundary. Long term changes of temperature, salinity and sea level from ROCM are more realistic than those of GOCMs in the study area. High resolution of ROCM enable us to figure out the spatial difference in sea level rise according to global warming. The path change of currents is a main cause in large spatial difference of sea level rise.
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