Evaluation of ERA-Interim Air Temperature Data over the Qilian Mountains of China

In this study, 2 m air temperature data from 24 meteorological stations in the Qilian Mountains (QLM) are examined to evaluate ERA-Interim reanalysis temperature data derived from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) for the period of 1979–2017. ERA-Interim generally captur...

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Main Authors: Peng Zhao, Lu Gao, Jianhui Wei, Miaomiao Ma, Haijun Deng, Jianyun Gao, Xingwei Chen
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2020-01-01
Series:Advances in Meteorology
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2020/7353482
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author Peng Zhao
Lu Gao
Jianhui Wei
Miaomiao Ma
Haijun Deng
Jianyun Gao
Xingwei Chen
author_facet Peng Zhao
Lu Gao
Jianhui Wei
Miaomiao Ma
Haijun Deng
Jianyun Gao
Xingwei Chen
author_sort Peng Zhao
collection DOAJ
description In this study, 2 m air temperature data from 24 meteorological stations in the Qilian Mountains (QLM) are examined to evaluate ERA-Interim reanalysis temperature data derived from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) for the period of 1979–2017. ERA-Interim generally captures the monthly, seasonal, and annual variation very well. High daily correlations ranging from 0.956 to 0.996 indicate that ERA-Interim captures the daily temperature observations very well. However, an average root-mean-square error (RMSE) of ±2.7°C of all stations reveals that ERA-Interim should not be directly applied at individual sites. The biases are mainly attributed to the altitude differences between ERA-Interim grid points and stations. The positive trend (0.457°C/decade) is significant over the Qilian Mountains based on the 1979–2017 observations. ERA-Interim captures the warming trend very well with an increase rate of 0.384°C/decade. The observations and ERA-Interim both show the largest positive trends in summer with the values of 0.552°C/decade and 0.481°C/decade, respectively. We conclude that in general ERA-Interim captures the trend very well for observed 2 m air temperatures and ERA-Interim is generally reliable for climate change research over the Qilian Mountains.
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spelling doaj-art-74effa9d397642df93b154d419ff3f502025-08-20T02:07:27ZengWileyAdvances in Meteorology1687-93091687-93172020-01-01202010.1155/2020/73534827353482Evaluation of ERA-Interim Air Temperature Data over the Qilian Mountains of ChinaPeng Zhao0Lu Gao1Jianhui Wei2Miaomiao Ma3Haijun Deng4Jianyun Gao5Xingwei Chen6College of Geographical Science, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou 350007, ChinaCollege of Geographical Science, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou 350007, ChinaInstitute of Meteorological and Climate Research, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Campus Alpine, Garmisch-Partenkirchen 82467, GermanyChina Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research, Beijing 100038, ChinaCollege of Geographical Science, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou 350007, ChinaFujian Key Laboratory of Severe Weather, Fuzhou 350001, ChinaCollege of Geographical Science, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou 350007, ChinaIn this study, 2 m air temperature data from 24 meteorological stations in the Qilian Mountains (QLM) are examined to evaluate ERA-Interim reanalysis temperature data derived from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) for the period of 1979–2017. ERA-Interim generally captures the monthly, seasonal, and annual variation very well. High daily correlations ranging from 0.956 to 0.996 indicate that ERA-Interim captures the daily temperature observations very well. However, an average root-mean-square error (RMSE) of ±2.7°C of all stations reveals that ERA-Interim should not be directly applied at individual sites. The biases are mainly attributed to the altitude differences between ERA-Interim grid points and stations. The positive trend (0.457°C/decade) is significant over the Qilian Mountains based on the 1979–2017 observations. ERA-Interim captures the warming trend very well with an increase rate of 0.384°C/decade. The observations and ERA-Interim both show the largest positive trends in summer with the values of 0.552°C/decade and 0.481°C/decade, respectively. We conclude that in general ERA-Interim captures the trend very well for observed 2 m air temperatures and ERA-Interim is generally reliable for climate change research over the Qilian Mountains.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2020/7353482
spellingShingle Peng Zhao
Lu Gao
Jianhui Wei
Miaomiao Ma
Haijun Deng
Jianyun Gao
Xingwei Chen
Evaluation of ERA-Interim Air Temperature Data over the Qilian Mountains of China
Advances in Meteorology
title Evaluation of ERA-Interim Air Temperature Data over the Qilian Mountains of China
title_full Evaluation of ERA-Interim Air Temperature Data over the Qilian Mountains of China
title_fullStr Evaluation of ERA-Interim Air Temperature Data over the Qilian Mountains of China
title_full_unstemmed Evaluation of ERA-Interim Air Temperature Data over the Qilian Mountains of China
title_short Evaluation of ERA-Interim Air Temperature Data over the Qilian Mountains of China
title_sort evaluation of era interim air temperature data over the qilian mountains of china
url http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2020/7353482
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