A 10-Yr Global Land Surface Reanalysis Interim Dataset (CRA-Interim/Land): Implementation and Preliminary Evaluation

A land surface reanalysis dataset covering the most recent decades is able to provide temporally consistent initial conditions for weather and climate models, and thus is crucial to verifying/improving numerical weather/climate forecasts/predictions. In this paper, we report the development of a 10-yr China Meteorological Administration (CMA) global Land surface ReAnalysis Interim dataset (CRA-Interim/Land; 2007–2016, 6-h intervals, approximately 34-km horizontal resolution). The dataset was produced and evaluated by using the Global Land Data Assimilation System (GLDAS) and NCEP Climate Forecast System Reanalysis (CFSR) global land surface reanalysis datasets, as well as in situ observations in China. The results show that the global spatial patterns and monthly variations of the CRA-Interim/Land, GLDAS, and CFSR climatology are highly consistent, while the soil moisture and temperature values of the CRA-Interim/Land dataset are in between those of the GLDAS and CFSR datasets. Compared with ground observations in China, CRA-Interim/Land soil moisture is comparable to or better than that of GLDAS and CFSR datasets for the 0–10-cm soil layer and has higher correlations and slightly lower root mean square errors (RMSE) for the 10–40-cm soil layer. However, CRA-Interim/Land shows negative biases in 10–40-cm soil moisture in Northeast China and north of central China. For ground temperature and the soil temperature in different layers, CRA-Interim/Land behaves better than the CFSR, especially in East and central China. CRA-Interim/Land has added value over the land components of CRA-Interim due to the introduction of global precipitation observations and improved soil/vegetation parameters. Therefore, this dataset is potentially a critical supplement to the CRA-Interim. Further evaluation of the CRA-Interim/Land, assimilation of near-surface atmospheric forcing variables, and extension of the current dataset to 40 yr (1979–2018) are in progress.