Arctic Regional Climate Models

Abstract

In this chapter, we provide an overview of current applications of regional climate models (RCMs) to the Arctic. There are increased applications of RCMs to present-day climate simulations and process parameterisations. Any advances in regional climate modelling must be based on analysis of physical processes in comparison with observations. In data-poor regions like the Arctic, this approach may be completed by a collaborative analysis of several research groups. Within the ARCMIP (Arctic Regional Climate Model Intercomparison Project), simulations for the SHEBA year 1997-1998 have been performed by several Arctic RCMs. The use of high resolution RCMs can contribute to a better description of important regional physical processes in the ocean, cryosphere, atmosphere, land and biosphere including their interactions in coupled regional model systems. This is based on identifying and modelling of the key processes and on an assessment of the improved understanding in the light of analysis of instrumental as well as paleoclimatic and paleoenvironmental records. The main goal is to address the deficiencies in understanding the Arctic by developing improved physical descriptions of Arctic climate feedbacks in atmospheric and coupled regional climate models and to implement the improved parameterisations into global climate system models to determine their global influences and consequences for decadal-scale climate variations. A further aim is to model the main feedbacks correctly to arrive at a more reliable estimate of future changes due to the coupling between natural and anthropogenic effects.