Yang et al. (2026) High‐Resolution Regional Atmospheric Simulation of Precipitation and Isotopes in Central America

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Identification

• Journal: Journal of Geophysical Research Atmospheres
• Year: 2026
• Date: 2026-08-24
• Authors: Yan Yang, Christian Birkel, Chris Soulsby, Ana M. Durán-Quesada, Ricardo Sánchez‐Murillo, Germain Esquivel‐Hernández, Kei Yoshimura, Doerthe Tetzlaff
• DOI: 10.1029/2026jd046723

Research Groups

• Institute of Atmospheric and Climate Science (IAC), ETH Zurich
• Department of Earth Sciences, University of Geneva

Short Summary

This study uses IsoRSM to simulate precipitation and its isotopic composition over tropical Costa Rica at high spatial and temporal resolution, improving upon previous results with bias correction. The model captures spatial patterns and seasonal cycles of precipitation inputs and isotopes.

Objective

• Investigate the capability of IsoRSM in simulating precipitation and its isotopic composition over a complex terrain like Costa Rica

Study Configuration

• Spatial Scale: 6° × 6° domain covering Costa Rica and surrounding regions, with a spatial resolution of 5 km
• Temporal Scale: 14-year simulation (2010–2023) at 6-hourly intervals

Methodology and Data

• Models used: IsoRSM (isotope-enabled regional spectral model)
• Data sources: Observations from 58 precipitation-amount sites, 27 isotope-monitoring sites, satellite data, and reanalysis products

Main Results

• IsoRSM captures spatial patterns and seasonal cycles of precipitation inputs and isotopes after applying quantile mapping bias correction
• Mean Kling-Gupta efficiency (KGE) for bias-corrected precipitation δ2H reached 0.43
• 5 km simulation outperformed the previous 10 km run, highlighting the benefits of improved topographic representation

Contributions

• Provides a high-resolution dataset for further application in isotope-enabled eco-hydrological models
• Demonstrates the potential of IsoRSM in simulating precipitation and its isotopic composition over complex terrains

Funding

• This research was funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) under project number [reference code]
• Additional support from the European Research Council (ERC) under grant agreement [project ID]

Citation

@article{Yang2026HighResolution,
  author = {Yang, Yan and Birkel, Christian and Soulsby, Chris and Durán-Quesada, Ana M. and Sánchez‐Murillo, Ricardo and Esquivel‐Hernández, Germain and Yoshimura, Kei and Tetzlaff, Doerthe},
  title = {High‐Resolution Regional Atmospheric Simulation of Precipitation and Isotopes in Central America},
  journal = {Journal of Geophysical Research Atmospheres},
  year = {2026},
  doi = {10.1029/2026jd046723},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1029/2026jd046723}
}