LAUSR

This study focuses on Patagonia, where Foehn events observed in the lee of the Andes mountains are not yet well simulated by state-of-the-art climate models. It has been agreed that one source of this shortcoming is related to the poor relief representation in models. To resolve this need, a common method used is to enhance the spatial resolution of the model to retrieve a more complex surface elevation, at the expense of calculation time or surface area covered. This paper tackles the problem from a different angle by addressing the Digital Elevation Model (DEM) generalization, .i.e. the altitudes generalization from a high-resolution DEM to a coarser resolution grid model. Most current climate models use DEM generalization methods that smooth the relief, a key controlling factor in Foehn events modeling. The aim of this study is to compare three original methods of DEM generalization (percentile 90 (P90), envelope maximum (EM), and thalweg and crests (TC)) and to evaluate their impact on simulated precipitation and temperature fields on the eastern part of Patagonia, where warm and dry air masses are