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WRF Model Prediction of a Dense Fog Event Occurred During the Winter Fog Experiment (WIFEX)

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Abstract

In this study, the sensitivity of the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model to simulate the life cycle of a dense fog event that occurred on 23–24 January 2016 is evaluated using different model configurations. For the first time, intensive observational periods (IOPs) were made during the unique winter fog experiment (WIFEX) that took place over Delhi, India, where air quality is serious during the winter months. The multiple sensitivity experiments to evaluate the WRF model performance included parameters such as initial model and boundary conditions, vertical resolution in the lower boundary layer (BL), and the planetary BL (PBL) physical parameterizations. In addition, the model sensitivity was tested using various configurations that included domain size and grid resolution. Results showed that simulations with a high number of vertical levels within the lower PBL height (i.e., 10 levels below 300 m) simulated the accurate timing of fog formation, development, and dissipation. On the other hand, simulations with less vertical levels in the PBL captured only the mature physical characteristics of the fog cycle. A comparison of six local PBL schemes showed little variation in the onset of fog life cycle in comparison to observations of visibility. However, comparisons of observations with thermodynamical values such as 2-m temperature and longwave radiation showed poor relationships. Overall, quasi-normal scale elimination (QNSE) and MYNN 2.5 PBL schemes simulated the complete fog life cycle correctly with high liquid water content (LWC; 0.5/0.35 g m−3), while other schemes only responded during the mature phase.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to thank the Director, IITM, for his encouragement during the study. Observational data used in this study were gathered as part of the MoES-IITM-IMD collaboration which jointly conducted the winter fog experiment (WIFEX) campaign funded by MoES. The authors also acknowledge ECMWF ERA-Interim data used in this study. We thank Sunitha Devi, India Meteorological Department (IMD), and NASA for providing the satellite images and synoptic charts. The authors appreciate Dr. Anupam Hazra for multiple useful discussions that helped prepare the manuscript. All simulations and data processing were carried out on an Aditya high-performance computing system at the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), Pune, India.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, Pune, India

    Prakash Pithani, Sachin D. Ghude, Rachana G. Kulkarni, Thara Prabhakaran & D. M. Chate

  2. Department of Meteorology and Oceanography, Andhra University, Visakhapatnam, India

    Prakash Pithani & V Naidu Chennu

  3. Meteorology and Air Quality Section, Wageningen University, Wageningen, The Netherlands

    Gert-Jan Steeneveld

  4. Environmental Change Initiative (ECI), 1400 East Angela Boulevard, Unit 117, South Bend, IN, 46617, USA

    Ashish Sharma

  5. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Earth Sciences (CEEES), University of Notre Dame, 156 Fitzpatrick Hall, Notre Dame, IN, 46556, USA

    Ashish Sharma

  6. Cloud Physics and Severe Weather Research Section, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Toronto, ON, Canada

    Ismail Gultepe

  7. Savitribai Phule Pune University, Pune, India

    Rachana G. Kulkarni

  8. India Meteorological Department, New Delhi, India

    R. K. Jenamani

  9. Ministry of Earth Sciences, New Delhi, India

    Rajeevan Madhavan

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  1. Prakash Pithani
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Pithani, P., Ghude, S.D., Chennu, V.N. et al. WRF Model Prediction of a Dense Fog Event Occurred During the Winter Fog Experiment (WIFEX). Pure Appl. Geophys. 176, 1827–1846 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00024-018-2053-0

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