Validation of ECMWF and NCEP-NCAR reanalysis data in Antarctica

Artificial Surface Pressure Trends in the NCEP–NCAR Reanalysis over the Southern Ocean and Antarctica*

An examination of 50 years of the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP)–National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) reanalysis from 1949 to 1998 reveals that significant spurious trends occur in the surface pressure field. Long-term surface pressure reductions are apparent south of 458S. The largest trend in surface pressure is near 658S where an approximately steady long-ter...

The Hadley circulation: assessing NCEP/NCAR reanalysis and sparse in-situ estimates

We present a comparison of the zonal mean meridional circulations derived from monthly in situ data (i.e. radiosondes and ship reports) and from the NCEP/NCAR reanalysis product. To facilitate the interpretation of the results, a third estimate of the mean meridional circulation is produced by subsampling the reanalysis at the locations where radiosonde and surface ship data are available for t...

Cirrus Cloud Properties and the Large-Scale Meteorological Environment: Relationships Derived from A-Train and NCEP–NCAR Reanalysis Data

Empirical knowledge of how cirrus cloud properties are coupled with the large-scale meteorological environment is a prerequisite for understanding the role of microphysical processes in the life cycle of cirrus cloud systems. Using active and passive remote sensing data from the A-Train, relationships between cirrus cloud properties and the large-scale dynamics are examined. Mesoscale cirrus ev...

A note on the deficiency of NCEP/NCAR reanalysis surface winds over the equatorial Indian Ocean

[1] The seasonal cycle and intraseasonal variability of the National Centers for Environmental Prediction/National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCEP) reanalysis surface winds over the Indian Ocean (IO) are assessed by comparing them with in situ surface observations from two moored buoys and winds from the SeaWinds scatterometer on the QuikSCAT satellite. The buoys are located in the centra...

On Equatorial Pacific Surface Wind Changes around 1977: NCEP-NCAR Reanalysis versus COADS Observation