To analyze the effects of horizontal resolution on hourly precipitation, four Atmospheric Model Intercomparison Project simulations are carried out using the Chinese Academy of Sciences Earth System Model (CAS-ESM) and the Community Earth System Model (CESM) during 1998-2016. They include CAS-ESM at resolutions of 1.4° latitude × 1.4° longitude (CAS-ESM L) and 0.5°× 0.5° (CAS-ESM H), and CESM at resolutions of 1.9° latitude× 2.5° longitude (CESM L) and 0.47°× 0.63° (CESM H), respectively. We focus on the simulated hourly precipitation frequency and assess the frequency with respect to high-resolution satellite observations and reanalysis. The high-resolution experiments show some improvements of measurable precipitation (>0.02 mm h^-1) frequency. Noticeable improvement of heavy rainfall (>2 mm h^-1) frequency is demonstrated at the high resolutions. The zonal mean, seasonal mean and area-weighted average frequency support the above results. The high-resolution experiments outperform the low-resolution experiments in reproducing hourly precipitation intensity and amount. The added value is apparent in heavy precipitation intensity from CAS-ESM H and CESM H. Over the monsoon regions and tropical convergence zones, the patterns of probability density functions for precipitation from high-resolution experiments are closer to the observations and reanalysis than those from the low-resolution simulations. The improvement of measurable precipitation frequency is mainly caused by the reductions of the convective rainfall occurrence at high resolutions. The increasing large-scale precipitation and reasonable integrated water vapor flux contribute to the improvements in measurable rainfall intensity and heavy precipitation characteristics. The results of this study support the concept that high-resolution global simulations could produce improved hourly precipitation capabilities, especially for heavy rainfall.
 

地球系统模式，水平分辨率，极端降水