Stratton, R. A., 1996: A high resolution AMIP run using
the Hadley Centre model HadAM2b. Climate Research Technical Note No. 77,
Hadley Centre for Climate Prediction and Research Meteorological Office.
A high resolution (0.833° latitude by 1.25° longitude)
AMIP run is compared with a standard resolution (2.5° by 3.75°)
AMIP run. Both runs use HadAM2b, a recent version of the Hadley Centre
GCM. ECMWF reanalysis data for the AMIP period (1979-1988), together with
other climatologies, are used to validate the model runs. Increasing resolution
increases the vertical motion, intensifies the hydrological cycle, reduces
slightly the model's cold bias in the troposphere, shifts the westerly
jets polewards and tends to increase the eddy kinetic energy and variability
of the model. The high resolution simulation has less mid-latitude cloud,
so altering the radiation balance. The detail in the precipitation field
is generally improved at high resolution.