Evaluation of a regional climate model for atmospheric simulation over Arctic river basins

Evaluation on a regional climate model was made with five-month atmospheric simulations over the Arctic river basins. The simulations were performed with a modified mesoscale model, Polar MM5 coupled to the NCAR Land Surface Model (LSM) to illustrate the skill of the coupled model (Polar MM5+LSM) in simulating atmospheric circulation over the Arctic river basins. Near-surface and upper-air observations were used to verify the simulations. Sensitivity studies between the Polar MM5 and Polar MM5+LSM simulations revealed that the coupled model could improve the forecast skill for surface variables at some sites. In addition, the extended evaluations of the coupled model simulations on the North American Arctic domain during December 15, 2002 to May 15, 2003 were carried out. The time series plots and statistics of the observations and Polar MM5+LSM simulations at six stations for near-surface and vertical profiles at 850 hPa and 500 hPa were analyzed. The model was found capable of reproducing the observed atmospheric behavior in both magnitude and variability, especially for temperature and near-surface wind direction.