The onset of the West African monsoon simulated in a high-resolution atmospheric general circulation model with reanalyzed soil moisture fields

T. J. Yamada, S. Kanae, T. Oki, Y. Hirabayashi

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

10 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The simulation of the onset of the West African monsoon (WAM), associated with the northward shift of the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) occurring in May, June, and July, is a challenging task for atmospheric general circulation models (AGCMs), because of complex water and energy balance through the land-atmosphere interaction as well as atmospheric processes. We provide evidence that a combination of state-of-the-art global fields of reanalyzed soil moisture anomalies and a sufficiently high-resolution (~50 km) AGCM produces a successful simulation of the northward shift of the ITCZ and the following onset of the WAM in July.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)103-107
Number of pages5
JournalAtmospheric Science Letters
Volume13
Issue number2
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2012 Apr
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • AGCM
  • African Easterly Jet
  • Soil moisture
  • West African monsoon

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Atmospheric Science

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'The onset of the West African monsoon simulated in a high-resolution atmospheric general circulation model with reanalyzed soil moisture fields'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this