Using Explainable AI and Transfer Learning to understand and predict the maintenance of Atlantic blocking with limited observational data

Fuente: arXiv
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Auteurs principaux: Zhang, Huan, Finkel, Justin, Abbot, Dorian S., Gerber, Edwin P., Weare, Jonathan
Format: Preprint
Publié: 2024
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author Zhang, Huan
Finkel, Justin
Abbot, Dorian S.
Gerber, Edwin P.
Weare, Jonathan
author_facet Zhang, Huan
Finkel, Justin
Abbot, Dorian S.
Gerber, Edwin P.
Weare, Jonathan
contents Blocking events are an important cause of extreme weather, especially long-lasting blocking events that trap weather systems in place. The duration of blocking events is, however, underestimated in climate models. Explainable Artificial Intelligence are a class of data analysis methods that can help identify physical causes of prolonged blocking events and diagnose model deficiencies. We demonstrate this approach on an idealized quasigeostrophic model developed by Marshall and Molteni (1993). We train a convolutional neural network (CNN), and subsequently, build a sparse predictive model for the persistence of Atlantic blocking, conditioned on an initial high-pressure anomaly. Shapley Additive ExPlanation (SHAP) analysis reveals that high-pressure anomalies in the American Southeast and North Atlantic, separated by a trough over Atlantic Canada, contribute significantly to prediction of sustained blocking events in the Atlantic region. This agrees with previous work that identified precursors in the same regions via wave train analysis. When we apply the same CNN to blockings in the ERA5 atmospheric reanalysis, there is insufficient data to accurately predict persistent blocks. We partially overcome this limitation by pre-training the CNN on the plentiful data of the Marshall-Molteni model, and then using Transfer Learning to achieve better predictions than direct training. SHAP analysis before and after transfer learning allows a comparison between the predictive features in the reanalysis and the quasigeostrophic model, quantifying dynamical biases in the idealized model. This work demonstrates the potential for machine learning methods to extract meaningful precursors of extreme weather events and achieve better prediction using limited observational data.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2404_08613
institution arXiv
publishDate 2024
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Using Explainable AI and Transfer Learning to understand and predict the maintenance of Atlantic blocking with limited observational data
Zhang, Huan
Finkel, Justin
Abbot, Dorian S.
Gerber, Edwin P.
Weare, Jonathan
Atmospheric and Oceanic Physics
Machine Learning
Blocking events are an important cause of extreme weather, especially long-lasting blocking events that trap weather systems in place. The duration of blocking events is, however, underestimated in climate models. Explainable Artificial Intelligence are a class of data analysis methods that can help identify physical causes of prolonged blocking events and diagnose model deficiencies. We demonstrate this approach on an idealized quasigeostrophic model developed by Marshall and Molteni (1993). We train a convolutional neural network (CNN), and subsequently, build a sparse predictive model for the persistence of Atlantic blocking, conditioned on an initial high-pressure anomaly. Shapley Additive ExPlanation (SHAP) analysis reveals that high-pressure anomalies in the American Southeast and North Atlantic, separated by a trough over Atlantic Canada, contribute significantly to prediction of sustained blocking events in the Atlantic region. This agrees with previous work that identified precursors in the same regions via wave train analysis. When we apply the same CNN to blockings in the ERA5 atmospheric reanalysis, there is insufficient data to accurately predict persistent blocks. We partially overcome this limitation by pre-training the CNN on the plentiful data of the Marshall-Molteni model, and then using Transfer Learning to achieve better predictions than direct training. SHAP analysis before and after transfer learning allows a comparison between the predictive features in the reanalysis and the quasigeostrophic model, quantifying dynamical biases in the idealized model. This work demonstrates the potential for machine learning methods to extract meaningful precursors of extreme weather events and achieve better prediction using limited observational data.
title Using Explainable AI and Transfer Learning to understand and predict the maintenance of Atlantic blocking with limited observational data
topic Atmospheric and Oceanic Physics
Machine Learning
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2404.08613