Long-Term Large-Scale Atmospheric Forcing Data From Three-Dimensional Constrained Variational Analysis for the ARM SGP Site

This study presents a long-term three-dimensional large-scale forcing data set (VARANAL3D) derived from the three-dimensional constrained variational analysis (3DCVA) method at the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) program Southern Great Plains (SGP) site from 2004 to 2018. Building on the same input data sets as the conventional continuous forcing data set (VARANAL), VARANAL3D maintains overall consistency in domain-averaged fields while introducing spatial variability, offering critical insights into the influence of mesoscale synoptic systems on cloud-related processes. Evaluations are conducted across four cloud and precipitation regimes: Clear-sky, Shallow-clouds, Afternoon-precipitation, and Nocturnal-precipitation, presenting high consistency of the domain-mean forcing data sets while emphasizing the role of subdomain forcing variability particularly in precipitating regimes. Single column model (SCM) simulations demonstrate that subdomain VARANAL3D forcing improves cloud and precipitation representation, with the ensemble outperforming domain-mean forcing in three cloudy and precipitating regimes. Overall, these results highlight VARANAL3D's value for investigating the impacts of spatial variability of large-scale forcing on atmospheric processes. The VARANAL3D data set provides new opportunities for evaluating model physics, advancing the development of scale-aware parameterizations and deepening our understanding of cloud and precipitation dynamics.