Bias correction of sea surface temperature retrospective forecasts in the South China Sea

Offline bias correction of numerical marine forecast products is an effective post-processing means to improve forecast accuracy. Two offline bias correction methods for sea surface temperature(SST) forecasts have been developed in this study: a backpropagation neural network(BPNN) algorithm, and a hybrid algorithm of empirical orthogonal function(EOF) analysis and BPNN(named EOF-BPNN). The performances of these two methods are validated using bias correction experiments implemented in the South China Sea(SCS), in which the target dataset is a six-year(2003–2008) daily mean time series of SST retrospective forecasts for one-day in advance, obtained from a regional ocean forecast and analysis system called the China Ocean Reanalysis(CORA),and the reference time series is the gridded satellite-based SST. The bias-correction results show that the two methods have similar good skills;however, the EOF-BPNN method is more than five times faster than the BPNN method. Before applying the bias correction, the basin-wide climatological error of the daily mean CORA SST retrospective forecasts in the SCS is up to-3°C;now, it is minimized substantially, falling within the error range(±0.5°C) of the satellite SST data.

Predictability of the upper ocean heat content in a Community Earth System Model ensemble prediction system

Upper ocean heat content(OHC)has been widely recognized as a crucial precursor to high-impact climate variability,especially for that being indispensable to the long-term memory of the ocean.Assessing the predictability of OHC using state-of-the-art climate models is invaluable for improving and advancing climate forecasts.Recently developed retrospective forecast experiments,based on a Community Earth System Model ensemble prediction system,offer a great opportunity to comprehensively explore OHC predictability.Our results indicate that the skill of actual OHC predictions varies across different oceans and diminishes as the lead time of prediction extends.The spatial distribution of the actual prediction skill closely resembles the corresponding persistence skill,indicating that the persistence of OHC serves as the primary predictive signal for its predictability.The decline in actual prediction skill is more pronounced in the Indian and Atlantic oceans than in the Pacific Ocean,particularly within tropical regions.Additionally,notable seasonal variations in the actual prediction skills across different oceans align well with the phase-locking features of OHC variability.The potential predictability of OHC generally surpasses the actual prediction skill at all lead times,highlighting significant room for improvement in current OHC predictions,especially for the North Indian Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean.Achieving such improvements necessitates a collaborative effort to enhance the quality of ocean observations,develop effective data assimilation methods,and reduce model bias.