Abstract
Upper-air observational networks in Southwest Asia (SWA) are geographically sparse and reanalysis datasets (RDs) are a typical alternative. However, RDs can perform with varying degrees of quality and accuracy due to differences in assimilation schemes and input observations, among other factors. Geopotential height (gph), air temperature (tmp) and horizontal wind (U and V) modelled by the Japanese 55-year Reanalysis (JRA-55), the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts Reanalysis Interim (ERA-I), the ERA fifth-generation (ERA-5), and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Modern Era Retrospective Analysis for Research and Applications version 2 (MERRA), are compared with radiosonde observations at three standard vertical levels (850, 500 and 300 hPa). Results showed that most RDs represent the general climatology, and ERA-5 tended to show the smallest agreements in most cases. RDs did not show consistent performance across seasons, variables, and pressure levels. RDs tended to conduct reasonable estimates over subregions with less complex topography. RDs showed better resampling performance at the upper and lower ends of sounding data distributions more frequently than around the means for most of the variables. This highlights the high potential usefulness of RDs in studying extremes over the region.
Highlights
IntroductionThe climate of Southwest Asia (SWA) is warming, and it is expected that this will lead to hardship [1,2]
Results showed that most reanalysis datasets (RDs) represent the general climatology, and ERA-5 tended to show the smallest agreements in most cases
The climate of Southwest Asia (SWA) is warming, and it is expected that this will lead to hardship [1,2]
Summary
The climate of Southwest Asia (SWA) is warming, and it is expected that this will lead to hardship [1,2]. The ongoing warming in the region is expected to continue, and the extreme temperatures of today will become the norm, and severe conditions are likely to emerge which may not be survivable, during summertime [1]. This is associated with more widespread and stronger South. Asian monsoon troughs, which are projected to join with intensifying thermal lows over the Sahara during summertime [2] These projections present possibilities and are nondeterministic, as the outputs of climate models depend mainly on the quality of input data and our understanding of climatic and atmospheric mechanisms. The only limitation in this type of evaluation using past climate is the availability of climatological datasets with high reliability, including high quality and accurate representation [3]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
