Assessment of atmospheric conditions over the Hong Thai Binh river watershed by means of dynamically downscaled ERA-20C reanalysis data

Abstract

Abstract Long-term, high spatial and temporal resolution of atmospheric data is crucial for the purpose of reducing the effects of hydro-meteorological risks on human society in an economically and environmentally sustainable manner. However, such information usually is limited in transboundary regions due to different governmental policies, and to conflicts in the sharing of data. In this study, high spatial and temporal resolution atmospheric data were reconstructed by means of the Weather Research and Forecasting Model-WRF with input provided from the global atmospheric reanalysis of the 20th century (ERA-20C) over the Hong-Thai Binh River watershed (H-TBRW). The WRF model was implemented over the physical boundaries of the study region based on ERA-20C reanalysis data and was configured based on existing ground observation data in Vietnam's territories, and the global Aphrodite precipitation data. With the validated WRF model for H-TBRW, the reconstructed atmospheric data were first reconstructed for 1950–2010, and then were evaluated by time series and spatial analysis methods. The results of this study suggest no significant trend in the annual accumulated precipitation depth, while there were upward trends in annual temperature at both the point and watershed scale. Furthermore, the results confirm that topographic conditions have significant effects on the climatic system such as on precipitation and temperature.