Intercomparison of the South Asian High in NCEP1, NCEP2, and ERA-40 Reanalyses and in Station Observations

The South Asian Highs (SAHs) at 100 hPa over China in the three reanalysis datasets NCEP1, NCEP2, and ERA-40 are evaluated by using station observation data. The results demonstrate a substantial discrepancy even between the reanalyses. First, the data of the three reanalyses generally underestimate the intensity of the SAH in the China domain. Second, there are interdecadal changes in the SAH, with highs in the 1960s and 1980s and lows in the 1970s, 1990s, and 2000s. This interdecadal variation of the SAH can be well depicted with NCEP1 data, but the high in the 1980s is missed by ERA-40. The NCEP2 corresponds well with NCEP1 and captures the decreasing trend after 1979. Furthermore, the NCEP1 reanalysis overestimates the interdecadal changes of SAH, while ERA-40 underestimates the interdecadal changes. This work suggests that much caution should be exerted when the reanalysis datasets are adopted to study the interdecadal variability of SAH.