Impact of SST reanalyzed using OGCM on weather simulation: A case of a developing cyclone in the Japan Sea area

It is difficult to estimate high-resolution sea surface temperature (SST) distributions in coastal areas under cloudy and rainy weather conditions. This study makes use of dynamical estimates of SST produced by combining satellite measurements into an eddy-resolving ocean general circulation model (OGCM). The reanalyzed SST provides an improved surface boundary condition for mesoscale atmospheric simulations. We examined a developing cyclone passing over the Japan Sea in comparative experiments undertaken using reanalyzed and satellite-measured SSTs. Mesoscale features of the SSTs resulting from ocean dynamics influence the development of the cyclone. In particular, the surface turbulent heat flux, precipitable water, and cloud water are sensitive to the difference between the two sets of SSTs. In these experiments, the simulation results obtained using the reanalyzed SST data are more similar to observed data than the results obtained using satellite-measured SST.