WRF-NMM Application in Hawaii: Experiments

CURRENT CONFIGURATION OF WRF-NMM ON ISLANDWX

MICROPHYSICS: Ferrier scheme: A scheme that includes prognostic mixed-phase processes (Ferrier et al. 2002). This scheme was recently changed so that ice saturation is assumed at temperatures colder than -30ºC rather than -10ºC as in the original implementation.

 LONGWAVE RADIATION: GFDL scheme: Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory (GFDL) longwave. An older version multi-band, transmission table look-up scheme with carbon dioxide, ozone and water vapor absorptions (Fels and Schwarzkopf 1975, Schwarzkopf and Fels 1985, Schwarzkopf and Fels 1991). Cloud microphysics effects are included.

 SHORTWAVE RADIATION: GFDL scheme: Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory (GFDL) shortwave. A two spectral bands, k-distribution scheme with ozone and water vapor as the main absorbing gases (Lacis and Hansen 1974). Cloud microphysics effects are included.

 SURFACE LAYER PHYSICS: Janjic Similarity scheme: Based on similarity theory with viscous sublayers both over solid surfaces and water points (Janjic, 1996b, Chen et al. 1997).

 LAND SURFACE PHYSICS: NMM Land Surface Scheme: The NMM LSM package is based in the pre-May 2005 Noah Land Surface Model (LSM) in the operational NAM/Eta with soil temperature and moisture in 4 layers, fractional snow cover and frozen soil physics (Ek et al. 2003) and is quite similar to the unified Noah LSM (option 2 above). 

PLANETARY BOUNDARY LAYER PHYSICS: Mellor-Yamada-Janjic Scheme: One-dimensional prognostic turbulent kinetic energy scheme with local vertical mixing (Janjic 1990, 1996a, 2002). 

CUMULUS PARAMETERIZATION: Betts-Miller-Janjic scheme: Adjustment scheme for deep and shallow convection relaxing towards variable temperature and humidity profiles determined from thermodynamic considerations (Janjic 1994, 2000).

Below is a summary of the physics options that have been well tested and used operationally at NCEP.  The UH-WRF modeling group is running WRF-NMM experimentally on a 12 node 64-bit Dell Linux Cluster with the same configuration of physics as NCEP.  Tests of other physics options will be completed incrementally.

DANA L. CARLIS
PHYSICAL SCIENTIST
NWS HFO

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