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    Original Research Papers

    Sensitivity study of heavy precipitation in Limited Area Model climate simulations: influence of the size of the domain and the use of the spectral nudging technique

    Authors:

    Jeanne Colin ,

    Météo France CNRM/GMGEC CNRS/GAME, 31057 Toulouse, FR
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    Michel Déqué,

    Météo France CNRM/GMGEC CNRS/GAME, 31057 Toulouse, FR
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    Raluca Radu,

    National Meteorological Administration LNM, Bucharest, RO
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    Samuel Somot

    Météo France CNRM/GMGEC CNRS/GAME, 31057 Toulouse, FR
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    Abstract

    We assess the impact of two sources of uncertainties in a limited area model (LAM) on the representation of intense precipitation: the size of the domain of integration and the use of the spectral nudging technique (driving of the large-scale within the domain of integration). We work in a perfect-model approach where the LAM is driven by a general circulation model (GCM) run at the same resolution and sharing the same physics and dynamics as the LAM. A set of three 50 km resolution simulations run over Western Europe with the LAM ALADIN-Climate and the GCM ARPEGE-Climate are performed to address this issue. Results are consistent with previous studies regarding the seasonal-mean fields. Furthermore, they show that neither the use of the spectral nudging nor the choice of a small domain are detrimental to the modelling of heavy precipitation in the present experiment.

    How to Cite: Colin, J., Déqué, M., Radu, R. and Somot, S., 2010. Sensitivity study of heavy precipitation in Limited Area Model climate simulations: influence of the size of the domain and the use of the spectral nudging technique. Tellus A: Dynamic Meteorology and Oceanography, 62(5), pp.591–604. DOI: http://doi.org/10.1111/j.1600-0870.2010.00467.x
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      Published on 01 Jan 2010
    Peer Reviewed
     CC BY 4.0
     Accepted on 21 May 2010            Submitted on 27 Oct 2009

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