Intercomparison of ocean temperature and circulation near the Galápagos islands in high-resolution models and observations

Abstract

The mean structure and variability of the Equatorial Undercurrent (EUC) have important implications for upwelling, sea surface temperature (SST), and productivity in the ecologically vital Galápagos Cold Pool. Historically, global coupled climate model simulations have exhibited considerable biases in their simulation of the EUC due to the requirement of relatively high spatial resolution to represent its dynamics. Particularly in the eastern equatorial Pacific, models must also adequately resolve important topographic features to accurately simulate the regional circulation. Here, we examine the extent to which a high-resolution configuration of the NCAR Community Earth System Model (CESM) and a suite of models from the High-Resolution Model Intercomparison project (HighResMIP) adequately represent the regional ocean circulation and other important climatological features of the eastern equatorial Pacific such as the EUC and the associated temperature patterns defining the cold tongue/Galápagos Cold Pool complex. Comparisons with satellite SST and in situ velocity observations, and a high-resolution ocean reanalysis product, illustrate that the high-resolution configuration of the CESM captures many key aspects of the SST field and EUC uniquely well, including its seasonal-to-interannual variability in the eastern equatorial Pacific. Specific strengths and biases of this model with direct comparison to the HighResMIP ensemble are discussed in detail, along with the potential for application of these models to interdisciplinary research topics such as projecting climate change impacts on marine ecosystems.