Climatology and variability in the ECHO coupled GCM

Latif, M., Stockdale, T., Wolff, J., Burgers, G., Maier-Reimer, E., Junge, M. M., Arpe, K. and Bengtsson, L. (1994) Climatology and variability in the ECHO coupled GCM. Tellus Series A: Dynamic Meteorology and Oceanography, 46 (4). pp. 351-366. ISSN 0280-6495 doi: 10.1034/j.1600-0870.1994.t01-3-00003.x

Abstract/Summary

ECHO is a new global coupled ocean-atmosphere general circulation model (GCM), consisting of the Hamburg version of the European Centre atmospheric GCM (ECHAM) and the Hamburg Primitive Equation ocean GCM (HOPE). We performed a 20-year integration with ECHO. Climate drift is significant, but typical annual mean errors in sea surface temperature (SST) do not exceed 2° in the open oceans. Near the boundaries, however, SST errors are considerably larger. The coupled model simulates an irregular ENSO cycle in the tropical Pacific, with spatial patterns similar to those observed. The variability, however, is somewhat weaker relative to observations. ECHO also simulates significant interannual variability in mid-latitudes. Consistent with observations, variability over the North Pacific can be partly attributed to remote forcing from the tropics. In contrast, the interannual variability over the North Atlantic appears to be generated locally.