A Climatology of the Precipitation over the Southern Ocean as Observed at Macquarie Island

Macquarie Island, a remote subantarctic site with modest elevation, provides critical insights into Southern Ocean precipitation patterns. A 32-year analysis (1979–2011) reveals that the ERA-Interim reanalysis underestimates annual precipitation by 6.8% compared to ground observations, highlighting significant biases in climate models over this region. Light precipitation dominates (29.7%), while heavy rainfall (≥1.5 mm/h) is rare but often linked to fronts and cyclonic systems, though some events occur without clear meteorological triggers. The study also identifies discrepancies between satellite-derived drizzle data and ground observations, suggesting limitations in reanalysis products for detecting weak precipitation. Two case studies further explore these inconsistencies, emphasizing the need for improved climate modeling in the Southern Ocean.

Wang, Z., Siems, S. T., Belusic, D., Manton, M. J., & Huang, Y. (2015). A Climatology of the Precipitation over the Southern Ocean as Observed at Macquarie Island. Journal of Applied Meteorology and Climatology, 54(12), 2321–2337. https://doi.org/10.1175/jamc-d-14-0211.1