Difference in boreal winter predictability between two dynamical cores of Community Atmosphere Model 5

Abstract This study investigates the sensitivity of the boreal winter prediction skill of Community Atmosphere Model 5 to the choice of the dynamical core. Both finite volume (FV) and spectral element (SE) dynamical cores are tested. An additional FV with the SE topography (FVSE) is also conducted to isolate the possible influence of the topography. The three dynamical core experiments, which ran from 2001/2002–2017/2018, are validated using Japanese 55 year reanalysis data. It turns out that the SE (−4.27 °C) has a smaller cold bias in boreal-winter surface air temperature (SAT) than the FV (−5.17 °C) and FVSE (−5.29 °C), particularly in North America, East Asia, and Southern Europe/Northern Africa. Significant North Atlantic Oscillation-like biases are also identified in the mid-troposphere. These biases affect seasonal prediction skills. Although the overall prediction skills of borea…