Real-time WRF large-eddy simulations to support uncrewed aircraft system (UAS) flight planning and operations during 2018 LAPSE-RATE

Abstract

Abstract. The simulation dataset described herein provides a high-resolution depiction of the four-dimensional variability of weather conditions across the northern half of the San Luis Valley, Colorado, during the 14–20 July 2018 Lower Atmospheric Profiling Studies at Elevation-A Remotely-Piloted Aircraft Team Experiment (LAPSE-RATE) field program. The simulations explicitly resolved phenomena (e.g., wind shift boundaries, vertical shear, strong thermals, turbulence in the boundary layer, fog, low ceilings and thunderstorms) that are potentially hazardous to small uncrewed aircraft system (UAS) operations. Details of the model configuration used to perform the simulations and the data-processing steps used to produce the final grids of state variables and other sensible weather products (e.g., ceiling and visibility, turbulence) are given. A nested (WRF) model configuration was used in which the innermost domain featured large-eddy-permitting 111 m grid spacing. The simulations, which were executed twice per day, were completed in under 6 h on the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) Cheyenne supercomputer using 59 cores (2124 processors). A few examples are provided to illustrate model skill at predicting fine-scale boundary layer structures and turbulence associated with drainage winds, up-valley flows and convective storm outflows. A subset of the data is available at the Zenodo data archive (https://zenodo.org/record/3706365#.X8VwZrd7mpo, Pinto et al., 2020b) while the full dataset is archived on the NCAR Digital Asset Services Hub (DASH) and may be obtained at https://doi.org/10.5065/83r2-0579 (Pinto et al., 2020a).

Evolution of the Convective Boundary Layer in a WRF Simulation Nested Down to 100 m Resolution During a Cloud‐Free Case of LAFE, 2017 and Comparison to Observations

“…The time‐height cross sections of the lidar systems and the 100 m turbulence‐permitting simulation investigated here agreed with observations of other case studies (e.g., Lange et al., 2019; Newsom et al., 2020; Turner et al., 2014; Wagner et al., 2019; Wulfmeyer et al., 2018) and results of other modeling studies (e.g., Bauer et al., 2020; Hald et al., 2019; Munoz‐Esparza et al., 2017; Pinto et al., 2021), indicating that the applied approach is a valuable contribution to boundary layer research.…”

“…In recent years, the WRF model was applied in a growing number of studies in a nested configuration down to LES scale for example, for wind energy applications (e.g., Liu et al, 2011) and for case studies during field campaigns (e.g., de Bode et al, 2021;Heath et al, 2017;Munoz-Esparza et al, 2017;Pinto et al, 2021;Simon et al, 2021;Udina et al, 2020;Umek et al, 2021). Bauer et al (2020) applied the WRF model in a multi-nested domain from the mesoscale down to the turbulence-permitting 100 m resolution for a clear-sky case study during the HOPE campaign.…”

“…In recent years, the WRF model was applied in a growing number of studies in a nested configuration down to LES scale for example, for wind energy applications (e.g., Liu et al., 2011) and for case studies during field campaigns (e.g., de Bode et al., 2021; Heath et al., 2017; Munoz‐Esparza et al., 2017; Pinto et al., 2021; Simon et al., 2021; Udina et al., 2020; Umek et al., 2021). Bauer et al.…”

High Spatiotemporal Resolution Planetary Boundary Layer Dynamics Across the Israeli Coast—Mountain—Valley Terrain Unraveled by WRF Simulations

“…The BL and BLH may be studied by a direct measurement of meteorological properties (e.g., wind speed and direction, pressure, temperature, and humidity), and also by employing remote sensing techniques such as ceilometer, Lidar, or Sodar measurements (Eresmaa et al., 2012; Feng et al., 2015; Geiß et al., 2017; Kotthaus & Grimmond, 2018; Seibert et al., 2000; Seidel et al., 2010; Zhang et al., 2014). Alternatively, the BL may be studied by employing numerical atmospheric models (Banks et al., 2015; Bauer et al., 2020; De Tomasi et al., 2011; De Wekker & Kossmann, 2015; Kunin et al., 2019; Lieman & Alpert, 1993; Liu et al., 2020; Lu & Turco, 1994; Mahrer & Pielke, 1977; Pinto et al., 2021; Tyagi et al., 2018; Udina et al., 2020). Currently, these models allow a realistic description of the BL with spatiotemporal resolutions that exceed that of experimental equipment.…”

Atmospheric aerosol, gases, and meteorological parameters measured during the LAPSE-RATE campaign by the Finnish Meteorological Institute and Kansas State University

“…In situ observation of PBL Published by Copernicus Publications. D. Brus et al: Aerosol, gases, and meteorological parameters measured during LAPSE-RATE properties are obtained through various techniques, including balloon soundings, tethersondes, dropsondes and hot-air balloons (e.g., Laakso et al, 2007;Greenberg et al, 2009;Nygård et al, 2017), towers (e.g., Heintzenberg et al, 2011;Andreae et al, 2015), and recently by unmanned aerial systems (UASs) (e.g., Ramanathan et al, 2007;Jonassen et al, 2015;Kral et al, 2018;Nolan et al, 2018;Barbieri et al, 2019;Girdwood et al, 2020;Harrison et al, 2021;Jensen et al, 2021;Pinto et al, 2021;Wenta et al, 2021).…”