The sensitivity of the regional coupled ocean-atmosphere simulations over the Intra-Americas seas to the prescribed bathymetry

We contend that RCM-I produces the most accurate simulation as a result of the coupled response to changes in bathymetry that optimizes the response of the modulation of the surface easterlies, which triggers sufficient ocean eddy activity in the western Gulf of Mexico and energizes the shelf currents. However, the uniform cold SST bias in the regional domain of all three simulations is also associated with a corresponding underestimation of the net heat flux into the ocean. The findings of this study clearly suggest that ameliorations of the SST bias in the IAS have their origins both in the atmospheric and oceanic components of the climate system.