ModE-RA: a global monthly paleo-reanalysis of the modern era 1421 to 2008

Abstract

Abstract The Modern Era Reanalysis (ModE-RA) is a global monthly paleo-reanalysis covering the period between 1421 and 2008. To reconstruct past climate fields an offline data assimilation approach is used, blending together information from an ensemble of transient atmospheric model simulations and observations. In the early period, ModE-RA utilizes natural proxies and documentary data, while from the 17th century onward instrumental measurements are also assimilated. The impact of each observation on the reconstruction is stored in the observation feedback archive, which provides additional information on the input data such as preprocessing steps and the regression-based forward models. The monthly resolved reconstructions include estimates of the most important climate fields. Furthermore, we provide a reconstruction, ModE-RAclim, which together with ModE-RA and the model simulations allows to disentangle the role of observations and model forcings. ModE-RA is best suited to study intra-annual to multi-decadal climate variability and to analyze the causes and mechanisms of past extreme climate events.