Development and Assessment of Dynamical Seasonal Forecast System Using the Cryospheric Variables

A dynamical seasonal prediction system for boreal winter utilizing cryospheric information was developed. Using the Community Atmospheric Model, version3, (CAM3) as a modeling system, newly developed snow depth initialization method and sea ice concentration treatment were implemented to the seasonal prediction system. Daily snow depth analysis field was scaled in order to prevent climate drift problem before initializing model's snow fields and distributed to the model snow-depth layers. To maximize predictability gain from land surface, we applied one-month-long training procedure to the prediction system, which adjusts soil moisture and soil temperature to the imposed snow depth. The sea ice concentration over the Arctic region for prediction period was prescribed with an anomaly-persistent method that considers seasonality of sea ice. Ensemble hindcast experiments starting at 1st of November for the period 1999-2000 were performed and the predictability gain from the imposed cryospheric informations were tested. Large potential predictability gain from the snow information was obtained over large part of high-latitude and of mid-latitude land as a result of strengthened land-atmosphere interaction in the modeling system. Large-scale atmospheric circulation responses associated with the sea ice concentration anomalies were main contributor to the predictability gain.