Improvements in WRF simulation skills of southeastern United States summer rainfall: physical parameterization and horizontal resolution

Li, Laifang; Li, Wenhong; Jin, Jiming

doi:10.1007/s00382-013-2031-2

Cited by 37 publications

(38 citation statements)

References 74 publications

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“…Another aspect related to this discussion is the different cyclone genesis events in the two CP experiments, which are related to differing convection triggering functions (Kain, ; Tiedtke, ; Zhang, Wang, & Hamilton, ; Li et al, ). The spatial patterns of cyclone genesis events in WRF simulations resemble those in the ERAI data albeit with some underestimates (Figures a–f).…”

Section: Sensitivity Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sensitivity Study of North Atlantic Summer Cyclone Activity in Dynamical Downscaled Simulations

2019

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We conduct a sensitivity study of the North Atlantic cyclone climate, with respect to the cumulus parameterization (CP) and planetary boundary layer (PBL) schemes, applied in the dynamical downscaling of HadGEM2‐ES simulations using Polar Weather Research and Forecasting. A set of seven sensitivity experiments is conducted for 1979–2004 using these CP and PBL schemes. CP schemes are Kain‐Fritsch (KF), Zhang‐McFarlane (ZM), and the modified Tiedtke (TZ). PBL schemes are the local Mellor‐Yamada‐Janjić (MYJ), Mellor‐Yamada‐Nakanishi‐Niino Level 2.5 (MYNN2) schemes, and nonlocal Yonsei University (YSU) scheme. In terms of cyclone intensities, our results show that the fine‐resolution Weather Research and Forecasting simulations capture higher intensities of summer cyclones than the HadGEM2‐ES results, in better agreement with the ERA‐Interim reanalysis, and exhibit a weak sensitivity to CP and PBL schemes. However, the frequency of summer cyclones is quite sensitive to CP and PBL schemes. Four KF experiments suggest comparable numbers of cyclone tracks as derived from ERA‐Interim reanalysis data, which is about 21% more than the ZM‐MYJ or TZ experiments and 11% more than HadGEM2‐ES results. Larger tropospheric potential vorticity and more cyclogenesis in the KF simulation than in TZ or ZM simulations are associated with different cyclone triggering functions and different vertical distributions of heating. We also find increased cyclone activities over the North Atlantic in the YSU or MYNN2 schemes compared to MYJ, but results also depend on the KF CP scheme. This can be attributed to stronger vertical mixing in YSU and MYNN schemes, resulting in smaller static stability and enhanced atmospheric moisture.

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Section: Sensitivity Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sensitivity Study of North Atlantic Summer Cyclone Activity in Dynamical Downscaled Simulations

2019

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“…The performance of the MYNN PBL and surface layer schemes was validated in sensitivity experiments by Li et al . (). Thus, the MYJ/Eta and MYNN‐3/MYNN schemes were chosen for the PBL and surface layer parameterization options.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Some modifications and new updates were implemented on the Mellor-Yamada Nakanishi Niino (MYNN) Level 3 scheme (Nakanishi and Niino, 2009), achieving significant improvement (Olson and Brown, 2012). The performance of the MYNN PBL and surface layer schemes was validated in sensitivity experiments by Li et al (2014). Thus, the MYJ/Eta and MYNN-3/MYNN schemes were chosen for the PBL and surface layer parameterization options.…”

Section: Wrf-based Physics Ensemblementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Evaluations for all rainfall events are listed in Tables 5 and 6 the clarification of which physical parameterization will exert a primary influence on the rainfall estimates. It is commonly accepted that the physics schemes having the greatest impact on rainfall estimation are the CU scheme, followed by the PBL and MP schemes (Jankov et al, 2005;Li et al, 2014). However, it was found that the CU schemes were not always the primary physics schemes for rainfall estimates and that the MP schemes did not always contribute least to the ensemble spread.…”

Section: Ensemble Rainfall Estimationmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Sensitivity of a weather research and forecasting model to downscaling schemes in ensemble rainfall estimation

Cai

Zhu

Dai

et al. 2019

Meteorological Applications

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Rainfall estimation using the weather research and forecasting (WRF) model is sensitive to physical parameterizations and downscaling configurations. Concerned with the correlations between physical parameterizations and dynamical downscaling, these significant issues were considered simultaneously in this study, and WRF‐based ensembles were integrated and used to estimate eight representative rainfall events. The results revealed that both rainfall estimates and intensities were sensitive to downscaling configurations. Specifically, light rainfall events that were homogeneous over space and time were estimated well using a 5 km horizontal resolution and were overestimated with a 1 km resolution where the planetary boundary layer (PBL) schemes were probably the source of positive errors in light rain conditions. However, when the rainfall was intense and displayed spatiotemporal heterogeneity, the rainfall peaks and volume were only well estimated with a 1 km resolution where cumulus (CU) schemes were the dominant schemes, demonstrating that higher resolutions could better reproduce rainfall patterns for wetter cases. At a 10 km horizontal resolution, the simulations did not display much accuracy, and different physics schemes did not make a substantial difference. Therefore, the rainfall characteristics cannot be ignored. More importantly, the contributions of microphysics, CU and PBL ensembles were quantified, and the sensitivities of the rainfall estimates to three downscaling configurations were studied.

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“…Furthermore, the ability to represent the NASH western ridge contributes to the skill of GCMs in simulating SE US summer precipitation (Li et al 2013b). On the other hand, summer rainfall simulations over the SE US are also sensitive to the choice of physical parameterization schemes, especially the cumulus scheme Li et al 2014). In this study, we further assessed these two categories of factors in SE US summer precipitation simulations using the WRF model.…”

Section: Dynamic Contributions Of the Nash Western Ridge To Rcm Biasementioning

confidence: 99%

Contribution of the North Atlantic subtropical high to regional climate model (RCM) skill in simulating southeastern United States summer precipitation

Jin

2014

Clim Dyn

Self Cite

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representation of the circulation patterns (i.e., wind fields) associated with the NASH western ridge substantially reduces the bias in the simulated SE US summer precipitation. Our analysis of circulation dynamics indicates that the NASH western ridge in the WRF simulations is significantly influenced by the simulated planetary boundary layer (PBL) processes over the Gulf of Mexico. Specifically, a decrease (increase) in the simulated PBL height tends to stabilize (destabilize) the lower troposphere over the Gulf of Mexico, and thus inhibits (favors) the onset and/or development of convection. Such changes in tropical convection induce a tropical-extratropical teleconnection pattern, which modulates the circulation along the NASH western ridge in the WRF simulations and contributes to the modeled precipitation biases over the SE US. In conclusion, our study demonstrates that the NASH western ridge is an important factor responsible for the RCM skill in simulating SE US summer precipitation. Furthermore, the improvements in the PBL parameterizations for the Gulf of Mexico might help advance RCM skill in representing the NASH western ridge circulation and summer precipitation over the SE US.

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Improvements in WRF simulation skills of southeastern United States summer rainfall: physical parameterization and horizontal resolution

Cited by 37 publications

References 74 publications

Sensitivity Study of North Atlantic Summer Cyclone Activity in Dynamical Downscaled Simulations

Sensitivity Study of North Atlantic Summer Cyclone Activity in Dynamical Downscaled Simulations

Sensitivity of a weather research and forecasting model to downscaling schemes in ensemble rainfall estimation

Contribution of the North Atlantic subtropical high to regional climate model (RCM) skill in simulating southeastern United States summer precipitation

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