Too cold, too saturated? Evaluating climate models at the gateway to the Arctic

Pithan, Felix; Naumann, Ann Kristin; Maturilli, Marion

doi:https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-3269-2025

Articles | Volume 25, issue 5

https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-3269-2025

© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-3269-2025

© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Articles | Volume 25, issue 5

Research article

|

17 Mar 2025

Research article |

| 17 Mar 2025

Too cold, too saturated? Evaluating climate models at the gateway to the Arctic

Felix Pithan, Ann Kristin Naumann, and Marion Maturilli

Supplement

https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-3269-2025-supplement

Data sets

AWI AWI-ESM1.1LR model output prepared for CMIP6 CMIP historical Christopher Danek et al. https://doi.org/10.22033/ESGF/CMIP6.9328

MPI-M MPI-ESM1.2-HR model output prepared for CMIP6 CMIP historical Johann Jungclaus et al. https://doi.org/10.22033/ESGF/CMIP6.6594

Basic and other measurements of radiation at station Ny-Ålesund (2006-05 et seq) Marion Maturilli https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.914927

Homogenized radiosonde record at station Ny-Ålesund, Spitsbergen, 2017–2022 Marion Maturilli and Erik Dünschede https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.961203

Homogenized radiosonde record at station Ny-Ålesund, Spitsbergen, 1993-2014 Marion Maturilli and Markus Kayser https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.845373

Homogenized radiosonde record at station Ny-Ålesund, Spitsbergen, 2015–2016 Marion Maturilli and Markus Kayser https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.875196

Basic and other measurements of radiation from the Baseline Surface Radiation Network (BSRN) Station Ny-Ålesund in the years 1992 to 2013, reference list of 253 datasets Marion Maturilli et al. https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.150000

NASA-GISS GISS-E2.1G model output prepared for CMIP6 CMIP historical NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies (NASA/GISS) https://doi.org/10.22033/ESGF/CMIP6.7127

HAMMOZ-Consortium MPI-ESM1.2-HAM model output prepared for CMIP6 CMIP historical David Neubauer et al. https://doi.org/10.22033/ESGF/CMIP6.5016

Terrengmodell Svalbard (S0 Terrengmodell) Norwegian Polar Institute https://doi.org/10.21334/npolar.2014.dce53a47

MOHC HadGEM3-GC31-LL model output prepared for CMIP6 CMIP historical Jeff Ridley et al. https://doi.org/10.22033/ESGF/CMIP6.6109

MIROC MIROC6 model output prepared for CMIP6 CMIP historical Hiroaki Tatebe and Masahiro Watanabe https://doi.org/10.22033/ESGF/CMIP6.5603

MRI MRI-ESM2.0 model output prepared for CMIP6 CMIP historical Seiji Yukimoto et al. https://doi.org/10.22033/ESGF/CMIP6.6842

ICON microphysics sensitivity runs based on the DYAMOND protocol Ann Kristin Naumann and Felix Pithan hdl:21.14106/f8511bf498f09eda2b9ff4f5fdd635133bd56a28

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Short summary

Representing the exchange of air masses between the Arctic and mid-latitudes and the associated cloud formation is difficult for climate models. We compare climate model output to temperature and humidity measurements from weather balloons to provide suggestions for model improvements. Cold biases mostly occur in air that is exported from the Arctic. Models that compute the number of ice particles in a cloud better represent humidity than models that assume a fixed number of ice particles.