Performance Assessment of New Land Surface and Planetary Boundary Layer Physics in the WRF-ARW

2010 ◽  
Vol 49 (4) ◽  
pp. 760-774 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert C. Gilliam ◽  
Jonathan E. Pleim
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Air Quality ◽  
Planetary Boundary Layer ◽  
Land Surface ◽  
Mesoscale Model ◽  
New Physics ◽  
The Other ◽  
Surface Model ◽  
Temperature Structure ◽  
Near Surface

Abstract The Pleim–Xiu land surface model, Pleim surface layer scheme, and Asymmetric Convective Model (version 2) are now options in version 3.0 of the Weather Research and Forecasting model (WRF) Advanced Research WRF (ARW) core. These physics parameterizations were developed for the fifth-generation Pennsylvania State University–National Center for Atmospheric Research Mesoscale Model (MM5) and have been used extensively by the air quality modeling community, so there was a need based on several factors to extend these parameterizations to WRF. Simulations executed with the new WRF physics are compared with simulations produced with the MM5 and another WRF configuration with a focus on the replication of near-surface meteorological conditions and key planetary boundary layer features. The new physics in WRF is recommended for retrospective simulations, in particular, those used to drive air quality simulations. In the summer, the error of all variables analyzed was slightly lower across the domain in the WRF simulation that used the new physics than in the similar MM5 configuration. This simulation had an even lower error than the other more common WRF configuration. For the cold season case, the model simulation was not as accurate as the other simulations overall, but did well in terms of lower 2-m temperature error in the western part of the model domain (plains and Rocky Mountains) and most of the Northeast. Both MM5 and the other WRF configuration had lower errors across much of the southern and eastern United States in the winter. The 2-m water vapor mixing ratio and 10-m wind were generally well simulated by the new physics suite in WRF when contrasted with the other simulations and modeling studies. Simulated planetary boundary layer features were compared with both wind profiler and aircraft observations, and the new WRF physics results in a more precise wind and temperature structure not only in the stable boundary layer, but also within most of the convective boundary layer. These results suggest that the WRF performance is now at or above the level of MM5. It is thus recommended to drive future air quality applications.

scholarly journals High-resolution fully-coupled atmospheric–hydrological modeling: a cross-compartment regional water and energy cycle evaluation

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benjamin Fersch ◽  
Alfonso Senatore ◽  
Bianca Adler ◽  
Joël Arnault ◽  
Matthias Mauder ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Land Surface ◽  
Hydrological Modeling ◽  
Weather Prediction ◽  
Surface Model ◽  
Near Surface ◽  
Ground Heat Flux ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Fully Coupled ◽  
Regional Water

<p>The land surface and the atmospheric boundary layer are closely intertwined with respect to the exchange of water, trace gases and energy. Nonlinear feedback and scale dependent mechanisms are obvious by observations and theories. Modeling instead is often narrowed to single compartments of the terrestrial system or bound to traditional viewpoints of definite scientific disciplines. Coupled terrestrial hydrometeorological modeling systems attempt to overcome these limitations to achieve a better integration of the processes relevant for regional climate studies and local area weather prediction. We examine the ability of the hydrologically enhanced version of the Weather Research and Forecasting Model (WRF-Hydro) to reproduce the regional water cycle by means of a two-way coupled approach and assess the impact of hydrological coupling with respect to a traditional regional atmospheric model setting. It includes the observation-based calibration of the hydrological model component (offline WRF-Hydro) and a comparison of the classic WRF and the fully coupled WRF-Hydro models both with identical calibrated parameter settings for the land surface model (Noah-MP). The simulations are evaluated based on extensive observations at the pre-Alpine Terrestrial Environmental Observatory (TERENO Pre-Alpine) for the Ammer (600 km²) and Rott (55 km²) river catchments in southern Germany, covering a five month period (Jun–Oct 2016).</p><p>The sensitivity of 7 land surface parameters is tested using the <em>Latin-Hypercube One-factor-At-a-Time</em> (LH-OAT) method and 6 sensitive parameters are subsequently optimized for 6 different subcatchments, using the Model-Independent <em>Parameter Estimation and Uncertainty Analysis software</em> (PEST).</p><p>The calibration of the offline WRF-Hydro leads to Nash-Sutcliffe efficiencies between 0.56 and 0.64 and volumetric efficiencies between 0.46 and 0.81 for the six subcatchments. The comparison of classic WRF and fully coupled WRF-Hydro shows only tiny alterations for radiation and precipitation but considerable changes for moisture- and energy fluxes. By comparison with TERENO Pre-Alpine observations, the fully coupled model slightly outperforms the classic WRF with respect to evapotranspiration, sensible and ground heat flux, near surface mixing ratio, temperature, and boundary layer profiles of air temperature. The subcatchment-based water budgets show uniformly directed variations for evapotranspiration, infiltration excess and percolation whereas soil moisture and precipitation change randomly.</p>

scholarly journals An investigation of ozone and planetary boundary layer dynamics over the complex topography of Grenoble combining measurements and modeling

2003 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 797-825 ◽  
Author(s):  
O. Couach ◽  
I Balin ◽  
R. Jiménez ◽  
P. Ristori ◽  
S. Perego ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Planetary Boundary Layer ◽  
Land Surface ◽  
Mesoscale Model ◽  
Ozone Production ◽  
Horizontal Wind ◽  
Maximum Height ◽  
Complex Topography ◽  
Atmospheric Measurements ◽  
Model Calculations

Abstract. This paper concerns an evaluation of ozone (O3) and planetary boundary layer (PBL) dynamics over the complex topography of the Grenoble region through a combination of measurements and mesoscale model (METPHOMOD) predictions for three days, during July 1999. The measurements of O3 and PBL structure were obtained with a Differential Absorption Lidar (DIAL) system, situated 20 km south of Grenoble at Vif (310 m a.s.l.). The combined lidar observations and model calculations are in good agreement with atmospheric measurements obtained with an instrumented aircraft (METAIR). Ozone fluxes were calculated using lidar measurements of ozone vertical profiles concentrations and the horizontal wind speeds measured with a Radar Doppler wind profiler (DEGREANE). The ozone flux patterns indicate that the diurnal cycle of ozone production is controlled by local thermal winds. The convective PBL maximum height was some 2700 m above the land surface while the nighttime residual ozone layer was generally found between 1200 and 2200 m. Finally we evaluate the magnitude of the ozone processes at different altitudes in order to estimate the photochemical ozone production due to the primary pollutants emissions of Grenoble city and the regional network of automobile traffic.

Simulations of the Urban Planetary Boundary Layer in an Arid Metropolitan Area

2008 ◽  
Vol 47 (3) ◽  
pp. 752-768 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susanne Grossman-Clarke ◽  
Yubao Liu ◽  
Joseph A. Zehnder ◽  
Jerome D. Fast
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Land Use ◽  
Planetary Boundary Layer ◽  
Mesoscale Model ◽  
Potential Temperature ◽  
Surface Flux ◽  
Metropolitan Region ◽  
Radiosonde Data ◽  
Near Surface ◽  
Better Than

Abstract A modified version of the fifth-generation Pennsylvania State University–National Center for Atmospheric Research Mesoscale Model (MM5) was applied to the arid Phoenix, Arizona, metropolitan region. The ability of the model to simulate characteristics of the summertime urban planetary boundary layer (PBL) was tested by comparing model results with observations from two field campaigns conducted in May/June 1998 and June 2001. The modified MM5 included a refined land use/cover classification and updated land use data for Phoenix and bulk approaches of characteristics of the urban surface energy balance. PBL processes were simulated by a version of MM5’s Medium-Range Forecast Model (MRF) scheme that was enhanced by new surface flux and nonlocal mixing approaches. Simulated potential temperature profiles were tested against radiosonde data, indicating that the modified MRF scheme was able to simulate vertical mixing and the evolution and height of the PBL with good accuracy and better than the original MRF scheme except in the late afternoon. During both simulation periods, it is demonstrated that the modified MM5 simulated near-surface air temperatures and wind speeds in the urban area consistently and considerably better than the standard MM5 and that wind direction simulations were improved slightly.

An investigation into the influence of high-resolution land-surface heterogeneity on atmospheric dynamics

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jason Simon ◽  
Khaled Ghannam ◽  
Gabriel Katul ◽  
Paul Dirmeyer ◽  
Kirsten Findell ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
High Resolution ◽  
Planetary Boundary Layer ◽  
Land Surface ◽  
Climate Modeling ◽  
Land Surface Model ◽  
Surface Heterogeneity ◽  
Atmospheric Dynamics ◽  
Surface Model ◽  
Land Surface Heterogeneity

<p>Land-surface heterogeneity is known to play an important role in land surface hydrology and thus the boundary conditions for numerical weather prediction (NWP) and climate modeling. For this reason, there have been considerable efforts over the past two decades to improve its representation in large scale models. However, to date, the inclusion of sub-grid heterogeneity in modeling land-atmosphere interactions in regional and global models has been limited to sub-grid spatial means and thus have almost entirely disregarded its multi-scale impact on the simulated atmospheric dynamics. To begin to address this challenge, here we use large-eddy simulations (LES) coupled to a land-surface model to gain a more complete understanding of its role in the coupled land-atmosphere system. In this work, we illustrate its impact over the Southern Great Plains (SGP) site in the United States and present a path forward for using these modeling experiments to guide the development of a complementary coupling parameterization within climate models.</p><p>More specifically, over the SGP site, we use high-resolution LES to investigate the impact of SGS land heterogeneity under different atmospheric and surface conditions to inform the development of land-surface and planetary boundary layer (PBL) parameterizations for coarser, operational-scale weather and climate modeling efforts. The experiment methodology uses a high-resolution land-surface model (WRF-Hydro), spun-up over multiple years using reanalysis data, which is then coupled to the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model for high-resolution LES. Cases are considered using both the fully heterogeneous land model as well as using a homogeneous surface with domain-averaged flux values at all grid points, allowing the dynamical effects of land-surface heterogeneity on the atmosphere to be isolated, and the land/atmospheric conditions under which land-surface heterogeneity plays a role to be studied. Results are evaluated primarily by the differences in the development of the planetary boundary layer and the extent, duration and intensity of developing rainfall events.</p>

scholarly journals Modeling of land-surface interactions in the PALM model system 6.0: Land surface model description, first evaluation, and sensitivity to model parameters

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katrin Frieda Gehrke ◽  
Matthias Sühring ◽  
Björn Maronga
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Energy Balance ◽  
Surface Potential ◽  
Land Surface ◽  
Potential Temperature ◽  
Land Surface Model ◽  
Model System ◽  
Horizontal Wind ◽  
Surface Model ◽  
Near Surface

Abstract. In this paper the land-surface model embedded in the PALM model system is described and evaluated against in-situ measurement data in Cabauw. For this, two consecutive clear-sky days are simulated and the components of surface energy balance, as well as near-surface potential temperature, humidity and horizontal wind speed are compared against observation data. For the simulated period, components of the energy balance agree well during day- and nighttime, and also the daytime Bowen ratio agrees fairly well compared to the observations. Although the model simulates a significantly more stably-stratified nocturnal boundary layer compared to the observation, near-surface potential temperature and humidity agree fairly well during day. Moreover, we performed a sensitivity study in order to investigate how much the model results depend on land-surface and soil specifications, as well as atmospheric initial conditions. By this, we find that a false estimation of the leaf area index, the albedo, or the initial humidity causes a serious misrepresentation of the daytime turbulent sensible and latent heat fluxes. During night, the boundary-layer characteristics are mostly affected by grid size, surface roughness, and the applied radiation schemes.

scholarly journals Development and Testing of Polar Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) Model. Part I: Greenland Ice Sheet Meteorology*

2008 ◽  
Vol 136 (6) ◽  
pp. 1971-1989 ◽  
Author(s):  
Keith M. Hines ◽  
David H. Bromwich
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Land Surface ◽  
Mesoscale Model ◽  
Ice Sheet ◽  
Wrf Model ◽  
Greenland Ice Sheet ◽  
Forecast Skill ◽  
Weather Research And Forecasting ◽  
Surface Model ◽  
Weather Research

Abstract A polar-optimized version of the fifth-generation Pennsylvania State University–National Center for Atmospheric Research Mesoscale Model (MM5) was developed to fill climate and synoptic needs of the polar science community and to achieve an improved regional performance. To continue the goal of enhanced polar mesoscale modeling, polar optimization should now be applied toward the state-of-the-art Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) Model. Evaluations and optimizations are especially needed for the boundary layer parameterization, cloud physics, snow surface physics, and sea ice treatment. Testing and development work for Polar WRF begins with simulations for ice sheet surface conditions using a Greenland-area domain with 24-km resolution. The winter month December 2002 and the summer month June 2001 are simulated with WRF, version 2.1.1, in a series of 48-h integrations initialized daily at 0000 UTC. The results motivated several improvements to Polar WRF, especially to the Noah land surface model (LSM) and the snowpack treatment. Different physics packages for WRF are evaluated with December 2002 simulations that show variable forecast skill when verified with the automatic weather station observations. The WRF simulation with the combination of the modified Noah LSM, the Mellor–Yamada–Janjić boundary layer parameterization, and the WRF single-moment microphysics produced results that reach or exceed the success standards of a Polar MM5 simulation for December 2002. For summer simulations of June 2001, WRF simulates an improved surface energy balance, and shows forecast skill nearly equal to that of Polar MM5.

scholarly journals An investigation of ozone and planetary boundary layer dynamics over the complex topography of Grenoble combining measurements and modeling

2003 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 549-562 ◽  
Author(s):  
O. Couach ◽  
I. Balin ◽  
R. Jiménez ◽  
P. Ristori ◽  
S. Perego ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Planetary Boundary Layer ◽  
Land Surface ◽  
Mesoscale Model ◽  
Ozone Production ◽  
Horizontal Wind ◽  
Maximum Height ◽  
Complex Topography ◽  
Atmospheric Measurements ◽  
Model Calculations

Abstract. This paper concerns an evaluation of ozone (O3) and planetary boundary layer (PBL) dynamics over the complex topography of the Grenoble region through a combination of measurements and mesoscale model (METPHOMOD) predictions for three days, during July 1999. The measurements of O3 and PBL structure were obtained with a Differential Absorption Lidar (DIAL) system, situated 20 km south of Grenoble at Vif (310 m ASL). The combined lidar observations and model calculations are in good agreement with atmospheric measurements obtained with an instrumented aircraft (METAIR). Ozone fluxes were calculated using lidar measurements of ozone vertical profiles concentrations and the horizontal wind speeds measured with a Radar Doppler wind profiler (DEGREANE. The ozone flux patterns indicate that the diurnal cycle of ozone production is controlled by local thermal winds. The convective PBL maximum height was some 2700 m above the land surface while the nighttime residual ozone layer was generally found between 1200 and 2200 m. Finally we evaluate the magnitude of the ozone processes at different altitudes in order to estimate the photochemical ozone production due to the primary pollutants emissions of Grenoble city and the regional network of automobile traffic.

scholarly journals High-resolution fully-coupled atmospheric–hydrological modeling: a cross-compartment regional water and energy cycle evaluation

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benjamin Fersch ◽  
Alfonso Senatore ◽  
Bianca Adler ◽  
Joël Arnault ◽  
Matthias Mauder ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Land Surface ◽  
Hydrological Modeling ◽  
Weather Prediction ◽  
Surface Model ◽  
Near Surface ◽  
Ground Heat Flux ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Fully Coupled ◽  
Regional Water

Abstract. The land surface and the atmospheric boundary layer are closely intertwined with respect to the exchange of water, trace gases and energy. Nonlinear feedback and scale dependent mechanisms are obvious by observations and theories. Modeling instead is often narrowed to single compartments of the terrestrial system or largely bound to traditional disciplines. Coupled terrestrial hydrometeorological modeling systems attempt to overcome these limitations to achieve a better integration of the processes relevant for regional climate studies and local area weather prediction. This study examines the ability of the hydrologically enhanced version of the Weather Research and Forecasting Model (WRF-Hydro) to reproduce the regional water cycle by means of a two-way coupled approach and assesses the impact of hydrological coupling with respect to a traditional regional atmospheric model setting. It includes the observation-based calibration of the hydrological model component (offline WRF-Hydro) and a comparison of the classic WRF and the fully coupled WRF-Hydro models both with identical calibrated parameter settings for the land surface model (Noah-MP). The simulations are evaluated based on extensive observations at the preAlpine Terrestrial Environmental Observatory (TERENO-preAlpine) for the Ammer (600 km2) and Rott (55 km2) river catchments in southern Germany, covering a five month period (Jun–Oct 2016). The sensitivity of 7 land surface parameters is tested using the Latin-Hypercube One-factor-At-a-Time (LH-OAT) method and 6 sensitive parameters are subsequently optimized for 6 different subcatchments, using the Model-Independent Parameter Estimation and Uncertainty Analysis software (PEST). The calibration of the offline WRF-Hydro gives Nash-Sutcliffe efficiencies between 0.56 and 0.64 and volumetric efficiencies between 0.46 and 0.81 for the six subcatchments. The comparison of classic WRF and fully coupled WRF-Hydro, both using the calibrated parameters from the offline model, shows nominal alterations for radiation and precipitation but considerable changes for moisture- and heat fluxes. By comparison with TERENO-preAlpine observations, the fully coupled model slightly outperforms the classic WRF with respect to evapotranspiration, sensible and ground heat flux, near surface mixing ratio, temperature, and boundary layer profiles of air temperature. The subcatchment-based water budgets show uniformly directed variations for evapotranspiration, infiltration excess and percolation whereas soil moisture and precipitation change randomly.

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