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Technical Challenges and Solutions in Representing Lakes when using WRF in Downscaling Applications
Citation:
Mallard, M., Chris Nolte, T. Spero, R. Bullock, Kiran Alapaty, J. Herwehe, J. Gula, AND J. Bowden. Technical Challenges and Solutions in Representing Lakes when using WRF in Downscaling Applications. Geoscientific Model Development . Copernicus Publications, Katlenburg-Lindau, Germany, 8(4):939-1110, (2015).
Impact/Purpose:
The National Exposure Research Laboratory’s Atmospheric Modeling Division (AMAD) conducts research in support of EPA’s mission to protect human health and the environment. AMAD’s research program is engaged in developing and evaluating predictive atmospheric models on all spatial and temporal scales for forecasting the Nation’s air quality and for assessing changes in air quality and air pollutant exposures, as affected by changes in ecosystem management and regulatory decisions. AMAD is responsible for providing a sound scientific and technical basis for regulatory policies based on air quality models to improve ambient air quality. The models developed by AMAD are being used by EPA, NOAA, and the air pollution community in understanding and forecasting not only the magnitude of the air pollution problem, but also in developing emission control policies and regulations for air quality improvements.
Description:
The Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model is commonly used to make high resolution future projections of regional climate by downscaling global climate model (GCM) outputs. Because the GCM fields are typically at a much coarser spatial resolution than the target regional downscaled fields, inland lakes are often poorly resolved in the driving global fields, if they are resolved at all. In such an application, using WRF’s default interpolation methods can result in unrealistic lake temperatures and ice cover at inland water points. Prior studies have shown that lake temperatures and ice cover impact the simulation of other surface variables, such as air temperatures and precipitation, two fields that are often used in regional climate applications to understand the impacts of climate change on human health and the environment. Here, alternative methods for setting lake surface variables in WRF for downscaling simulations are presented and contrasted.
URLs/Downloads:
FINAL FINAL GMD-2014-163-MANUSCRIPT-VERSION3.PDF (PDF, NA pp, 676.825 KB, about PDF)Geoscientific Model Development
