caa a22 4500 605472041 CHVBK 20210128100336.0 cr unu---uuuuu 210128e20150701xx s 000 0 eng 10.1007/s00382-014-2253-y doi (NATIONALLICENCE)springer-10.1007/s00382-014-2253-y Using joint probability distribution functions to evaluate simulations of precipitation, cloud fraction and insolation in the North America Regional Climate Change Assessment Program (NARCCAP) [Elektronische Daten] [Huikyo Lee, Jinwon Kim, Duane Waliser, Paul Loikith, Chris Mattmann, Seth McGinnis] This study evaluates model fidelity in simulating relationships between seasonally averaged precipitation, cloud fraction and surface insolation from the North American Regional Climate Change Assessment Project (NARCCAP) hindcast using observational data from ground stations and satellites. Model fidelity is measured in terms of the temporal correlation coefficients between these three variables and the similarity between the observed and simulated joint probability distribution functions (JPDFs) in 14 subregions over the conterminous United States. Observations exhibit strong negative correlations between precipitation/cloud fraction and surface insolation for all seasons, whereas the relationship between precipitation and cloud fraction varies according to regions and seasons. The skill in capturing these observed relationships varies widely among the NARCCAP regional climate models, especially in the Midwest and Southeast coast regions where observations show weak (or even negative) correlations between precipitation and cloud fraction in winter due to frequent non-precipitating stratiform clouds. Quantitative comparison of univariate and JPDFs indicates that model performance varies markedly between regions as well as seasons. This study also shows that comparison of JPDFs is useful for summarizing the performance of and highlighting problems with some models in simulating cloud fraction and surface insolation. Our quantitative metric may be useful in improving climate models by highlighting shortcomings in the formulations related with the physical processes involved in precipitation, clouds and radiation or other multivariate processes in the climate system. Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg, 2014 Regional climate model evaluation nationallicence NARCCAP nationallicence Cloud, precipitation and radiation nationallicence Joint probability distribution nationallicence Lee Huikyo Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, 4800 Oak Grove Drive M/S 300-233, 91109, Pasadena, CA, USA aut Kim Jinwon University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA aut Waliser Duane Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, 4800 Oak Grove Drive M/S 300-233, 91109, Pasadena, CA, USA aut Loikith Paul Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, 4800 Oak Grove Drive M/S 300-233, 91109, Pasadena, CA, USA aut Mattmann Chris Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, 4800 Oak Grove Drive M/S 300-233, 91109, Pasadena, CA, USA aut McGinnis Seth The National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, CO, USA aut Climate Dynamics Springer Berlin Heidelberg 45/1-2(2015-07-01), 309-323 0930-7575 45:1-2<309 2015 45 382 https://doi.org/10.1007/s00382-014-2253-y text/html Onlinezugriff via DOI BK010053 XK010053 XK010000 Metadata rights reserved Springer special CC-BY-NC licence nationallicence 1 research-article jats NATIONALLICENCE NATIONALLICENCE NL-springer NATIONALLICENCE 856 40 https://doi.org/10.1007/s00382-014-2253-y text/html Onlinezugriff via DOI NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Lee Huikyo Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, 4800 Oak Grove Drive M/S 300-233, 91109, Pasadena, CA, USA aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Kim Jinwon University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Waliser Duane Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, 4800 Oak Grove Drive M/S 300-233, 91109, Pasadena, CA, USA aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Loikith Paul Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, 4800 Oak Grove Drive M/S 300-233, 91109, Pasadena, CA, USA aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Mattmann Chris Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, 4800 Oak Grove Drive M/S 300-233, 91109, Pasadena, CA, USA aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- McGinnis Seth The National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, CO, USA aut NATIONALLICENCE 773 0- Climate Dynamics Springer Berlin Heidelberg 45/1-2(2015-07-01), 309-323 0930-7575 45:1-2<309 2015 45 382