Indian Ocean SST Biases in a Flexible Regional Ocean Atmosphere Land System (FROALS) Model

The authors examine the Indian Ocean sea surface temperature (SST) biases simulated by a Flexible Regional Ocean Atmosphere Land System (FROALS) model. The regional coupled model exhibits pronounced cold SST biases in a large portion of the Indian Ocean warm pool. Negative biases in the net surface heat fluxes are evident in the model, leading to the cold biases of the SST. Further analysis indicates that the negative biases in the net surface heat fluxes are mainly contributed by the biases of sensible heat and latent heat flux. Near-surface meteorological variables that could contribute to the SST biases are also examined. It is found that the biases of sensible heat and latent heat flux are caused by the colder and dryer near-surface air in the model.