Abstract
A super-high resolution (20 km) global climate model data and Climate Research Unit (CRU) data were employed to investigate the seasonal precipitation regime over the Middle East, and the main research focus is on the orographic rainfall effects over a large part of Turkey by using these two different datasets.
Results show that the 20 km regional precipitation over high mountains behaves differently in the 20 km resolution as compared to the CRU data for the time period of 1979–2002. The orographic precipitation over Turkey simulated by the 20 km GCM shows that, the amount of seasonal precipitation has significant relation with the altitude, which is not as pronounced in the CRU data. The area mean precipitation from the 20 km GCM is higher than that of CRU both for the wet and the dry seasons, with the mean value of about 25% and 39% higher, respectively. Results suggest that the higher resolution model is essential, especially in capturing the orographic precipitation over high altitudes.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Alpert P (1986) Mesoscale indexing of the distribution of precipitation over high mountains. J Clim Appl Meteorol 25:532–545
Alpert P, Shafir H, Cotton WR (1994) Prediction of Meso-γ scale orographic precipitation. Trends Hydrol 1:403–441
Alpert P, Shafir H (1989) A physical model to complement rainfall normals over complex terrain. J Hydrol 110:51–62
Alpert P, Shafir H (1991) On the role of the wind vector interaction with high-resolution topography in orographic rainfall modelling. Q J R Meteorol Soc 117:421–426
Caine N (1980) The rainfall intensity: duration controls on shallow landslides and debris flows. Geogr Ann Ser A 62:23–27
Caracena F, Maddox RA, Hoxit LR, Chappell CF (1979) Mesoscale analysis of the Big Thompson storm. Mon Weather Rev 107:1–17
Conway H, Raymond CF (1993) Snow stability during rain. J Glaciol 39:635–642
Jin F, Kitoh A, Alpert P (2009a) The atmospheric moisture budget over the eastern Mediterranean based on a high-resolution global model – past and future. Int J Climatol (in revision)
Kitoh A, Yatagai A, Alpert P (2008) First super-high-resolution model projection that the ancient Fertile Crescent will disappear in this century. Hydrol Res Lett 2:1–4. doi:10.3178 HRL.2.1
Mitchell TD, Jones PD (2005) An improved method of constructing a database of monthly climate observations and associated high-resolution grids. Int J Climato 25:693–712. doi:10.1002/joc.1181
Mizuta R, Oouchi K, Yoshimura H, Noda A, Katayama K, Yukimoto S, Hosaka M, Kusunoki S, Kawai H, Nakagawa M (2006) 20-km-mesh global climate simulations using JMA-GSM model mean climate states. J Meteorol Soc Jpn 84:165–185
Roe GH (2005) Orographic precipitation. Annu Rev Earth Pl Sci 33:645–671
Yatagai A, Alpert P, Xie P (2008) Development of a daily gridded precipitation data set for the Middle East. Adv Geosci 12:1–6
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2012 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.
About this paper
Cite this paper
Alpert, P., Jin, F., Shafir, H. (2012). Orographic Precipitation Simulated by a Super-High Resolution Global Climate Model over the Middle East. In: Fernando, H., Klaić, Z., McCulley, J. (eds) National Security and Human Health Implications of Climate Change. NATO Science for Peace and Security Series C: Environmental Security. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-2430-3_26
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-2430-3_26
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-94-007-2429-7
Online ISBN: 978-94-007-2430-3
eBook Packages: Earth and Environmental ScienceEarth and Environmental Science (R0)