"The Community Climate System Model version 4 (CCSM4)…" — Wesley J. Davis (#c629)

Card #c629IR // #c629SynthesisMilitary report

The Community Climate System Model version 4 (CCSM4) simulates African easterly waves at realistic frequencies versus reanalysis data (1979–2005), as measured by an algorithm detecting 5-knot northerly-to-southerly meridional wind shifts over two days at 700 hPa in the 7–15°N, 20°W–25°W box.

— In our words · Source: Verifying the Representation of Tropical Easterly Waves in Community Climate Model Version 4 (Wesley J. Davis)

[Use when]

Trust, but verify the weather machine — a model is only as good as its ability to reproduce the phenomena you can already observe.

[Why it matters]

African easterly waves seed Atlantic hurricanes — if the model can't reproduce them at realistic rates, its cyclone forecasts aren't worth much; it can, which is a concrete credibility data point for the model.