Skip to main content

Advertisement

Log in

WRF gray-zone dynamical downscaling over the Tibetan Plateau during 1999–2019: model performance and added value

  • Published:
Climate Dynamics Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The Tibetan Plateau (TP) is an important component of the global climate system, while the characteristics of its climate are poorly represented in most regional climate models at coarse resolutions. In this study, a 20-year (2000–2019) dynamical downscaling simulation at the gray-zone resolution (9 km) using the WRF model driven by the ERA5 reanalysis is conducted over the TP. Based on comparisons against in-situ observations and the Integrated Multi-satellite Retrievals for GPM (IMERG) version 6 satellite precipitation product, the assessment of basic climate variables, such as near-surface air temperature (T2m) and precipitation, is performed to evaluate the model’s performance and understand its added value better. Results show that both WRF and ERA5 can successfully reproduce the spatial patterns of annual mean and seasonal mean surface air temperature. However, significant cold and wet biases are found especially over the southeastern TP in ERA5, which are greatly improved in WRF with reduced RMSEs. Not only the climatological characteristics, but also the inter-annual variability and seasonal variation of T2m and precipitation are well captured by WRF which reduces the cold and wet biases especially in winter and summer compared to ERA5, respectively. Besides, at daily scale, the overestimation of precipitation in WRF and ERA5 is mainly caused by the overestimated precipitation frequency when precipitation intensity changed slightly. Furthermore, WRF outperforms ERA5 in capturing the diurnal variation of precipitation with more realistic peak time in all sub-regions over the TP. Further investigation into the mechanism of model bias reveals that less simulated snow cover fraction plays a crucial role in increasing the surface net energy by affecting surface albedo over the southeastern TP in WRF, leading to higher T2m. In addition, less water vapor transport from the southern boundary of TP leads to reduced wet bias in WRF, indicating that the added value in dynamical downscaling at gray-zone resolution is obtained by representing water vapor transport more realistically.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8
Fig. 9
Fig. 10
Fig. 11
Fig. 12
Fig. 13
Fig. 14
Fig. 15

Similar content being viewed by others

Availability of data and material

The station observations used in this work are available at: http://data.cma.cn/en. The ERA5 dataset used in this work is available at: https://www.ecmwf.int/en/forecasts/datasets/reanalysis-datasets/era5. The IMERG dataset used in this work is available at: https://gpm1.gesdisc.eosdis.nasa.gov/data/GPM_L3/GPM_3IMERGHH.06. The IMS dataset used in this work is available at: https://nsidc.org/data/g02156.

Code availability

The analysis code is available on request from the corresponding author.

References

  • Alexandersson H, Moberg A (1997) Homogenization of Swedish temperature data. Part I: homogeneity test for linear trends. Int J Climatol 17:25–34. https://doi.org/10.1002/(SICI)1097-0088(199701)17:1%3c25::AID-JOC103%3e3.0.CO;2-J

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chen L, Frauenfeld OW (2014) A comprehensive evaluation of precipitation simulations over China based on CMIP5 multimodel ensemble projections. J Geophys Res Atmos 119(10):5767–5786

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chen D et al (2015) Assessment of past, present and future environmental changes on the Tibetan Plateau. Chin Sci Bull 60:3025–3035

    Google Scholar 

  • Chen B, Zhang W, Yang S, Xu X (2019) Identifying and contrasting the sources of the water vapor reaching the subregions of the Tibetan Plateau during the wet season. Clim Dyn 53(11):6891–6907

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Duan A, Hu J, Xiao Z (2013) The Tibetan Plateau summer monsoon in the CMIP5 simulations. J Clim 26(19):7747–7766

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fu YH, Gao XJ, Zhu YM, Guo D (2021) Climate change projection over the Tibetan Plateau based on a set of RCM simulations. Adv Clim Chang Res 12(3):313–321

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gao Y, Xu J, Chen D (2015) Evaluation of WRF mesoscale climate simulations over the Tibetan Plateau during 1979–2011. J Clim 28(7):2823–2841

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gao Y, Chen F, Jiang Y (2020) Evaluation of a convection-permitting modeling of precipitation over the Tibetan Plateau and its influences on the simulation of snow-cover fraction. J Hydrometeorol 21(7):1531–1548

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ge F, Sielmann F, Zhu X et al (2017) The link between Tibetan Plateau monsoon and Indian summer precipitation: a linear diagnostic perspective. Clim Dyn 49:4201–4215. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00382-017-3585-1

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Giorgi F (2019) Thirty years of regional climate modeling: where are we and where are we going next? J Geophys Res Atmos 124(11):5696–5723

    Google Scholar 

  • Guo D, Sun J, Yu E (2018) Evaluation of CORDEX regional climate models in simulating temperature and precipitation over the Tibetan Plateau. Atmos Ocean Sci Lett 11(3):219–227. https://doi.org/10.1080/16742834.2018.1451725

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gutowski WJ, Ullrich PA, Hall A et al (2020) The ongoing need for high-resolution regional climate models: process understanding and stakeholder information. Bull Am Meteorol Soc 101(5):E664–E683

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • He C, Wang Z, Zhou T, Li T (2019) Enhanced latent heating over the Tibetan Plateau as a key to the enhanced East Asian summer monsoon circulation under a warming climate. J Clim 32(11):3373–3388

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hersbach H, Bell B, Berrisford P et al (2020) The ERA5 global reanalysis. Q J R Meteorol Soc 146:1999–2049. https://doi.org/10.1002/qj.3803

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hong S, Noh Y, Dudhia J (2006) A New vertical diffusion package with an explicit treatment of entrainment processes. Mon Weather Rev 134(9):2318–2341

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Huang Z, Zhong L, Ma Y, Fu Y (2021) Development and evaluation of spectral nudging strategy for the simulation of summer precipitation over the Tibetan Plateau using WRF (v4.0). Geosci Model Dev 14:2827–2841. https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-14-2827-2021

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Huffman GJ (2015) Algorithm Theoretical Basis Document (ATBD): NASA Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Integrated Multi-satellitE Retrievals for GPM (I-MERG). January.

  • Iacono MJ, Delamere JS, Mlawer EJ, Shephard MW, Clough SA, Collins WD (2008) Radiative forcing by long-lived greenhouse gases: Calculations with the AER radiative transfer models. J Geophys Res 113:D13103. https://doi.org/10.1029/2008JD009944

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jiang D, Tian Z, Lang X (2016) Reliability of climate models for China through the IPCC Third to Fifth Assessment Reports. Int J Climatol 36(3):1114–1133

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Karki R, ul Hasson S, Gerlitz L, Schickhoff U, Scholten T, Böhner J (2017) Quantifying the added value of convection-permitting climate simulations in complex terrain: a systematic evaluation of WRF over the Himalayas. Earth Syst Dyn 8:507–528. https://doi.org/10.5194/esd-8-507-2017

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Li C, Zuo Q, Xu X, Gao S (2016a) Water vapor transport around the Tibetan Plateau and its effect on summer rainfall over the Yangtze River valley. J Meteorol Res 30(4):472–482

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Li J-LF, Lee W-L, Yu J-Y, Hulley G, Fetzer E, Chen Y-C, Wang YH (2016b) The impacts of precipitating hydrometeors radiative effects on land surface temperature in contemporary GCMs using satellite observations. J Geophys Res Atmos 121:67–79. https://doi.org/10.1002/2015JD023776

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Li P, Furtado K, Zhou T et al (2021) Convection-permitting modelling improves simulated precipitation over the central and eastern Tibetan Plateau. Q J R Meteorol Soc 147(734):341–362

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Li D, Qi Y, Chen D (2022a) Changes in rain and snow over the Tibetan Plateau based on IMERG and ground-based observation. J Hydrol 606:127400

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Li H, Zhou L, Wang G (2022b) The observed impact of the South Asian Summer Monsoon on land-atmosphere heat transfers and its inhomogeneity over the Tibetan Plateau. Remote Sens 14(13):3236

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lin C, Chen D, Yang K et al (2018) Impact of model resolution on simulating the water vapor transport through the central Himalayas: implication for models’ wet bias over the Tibetan Plateau. Clim Dyn 51(9):3195–3207

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lin X, Wen J, Liu Q, You D, Wu S, Hao D, Zhang Z (2020) Spatiotemporal variability of land surface albedo over the Tibet Plateau from 2001 to 2019. Remote Sensing 12(7):1188

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lun Y, Liu L, Cheng L, Li X, Li H, Xu Z (2021) Assessment of GCMs simulation performance for precipitation and temperature from CMIP5 to CMIP6 over the Tibetan Plateau. Int J Climatol 41:3994–4018. https://doi.org/10.1002/joc.7055

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ma Q, Li Y, Feng H, Yu Q, Zou Y, Liu F, Pulatov B (2021) Performance evaluation and correction of precipitation data using the 20-year IMERG and TMPA precipitation products in diverse subregions of China. Atmos Res. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosres.2020.105304

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ma M, Hui P, Liu D et al (2022) Convection-permitting regional climate simulations over Tibetan Plateau: re-initialization versus spectral nudging. Clim Dyn 58:1719–1735. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00382-021-05988-2

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mai X, Qiu X, Yang Y, Ma Y (2020) Impacts of spectral nudging parameters on dynamical downscaling in summer over Mainland China. Front Earth Sci 8:574754. https://doi.org/10.3389/feart.2020.574754

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Maussion F, Scherer D, Mölg T, Collier E, Curio J, Finkelnburg R (2014) Precipitation seasonality and variability over the Tibetan Plateau as resolved by the high Asia reanalysis. J Clim 27(5):1910-1927. https://doi.org/10.1175/JCLI-D-13-00282.1

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Miguez-Macho G, Stenchikov GL, Robock A (2005) Regional climate simulations over North America: interaction of local processes with improved large-scale flow. J Clim 18(8):1227–1246. Retrieved Sep 2, 2022, from https://journals.ametsoc.org/view/journals/clim/18/8/jcli3369.1.xml

  • Nan S, Zhao P, Chen J, Liu G (2021) Links between the thermal condition of the Tibetan Plateau in summer and atmospheric circulation and climate anomalies over the Eurasian continent. Atmos Res 247:105212

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Niu X, Tang J, Chen D et al (2021) Elevation-dependent warming over the Tibetan Plateau from an ensemble of CORDEX-EA regional climate simulations. J Geophys Res Atmos 126(9):e2020JD033997

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ou T, Chen D, Chen X et al (2020) Simulation of summer precipitation diurnal cycles over the Tibetan Plateau at the gray-zone grid spacing for cumulus parameterization. Clim Dyn 54:3525–3539. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00382-020-05181-x

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pang G, Chen D, Wang X, Lai HW (2022) Spatiotemporal variations of land surface albedo and associated influencing factors on the Tibetan Plateau. Sci Total Environ 804:150100. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.150100

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pradhan RK, Markonis Y, Godoy MRV, Villalba-Pradas A, Andreadis KM, Nikolopoulos EI, Papalexiou SM, Rahim A, Tapiador FJ, Hanel M (2022) Review of GPM IMERG performance: a global perspective. Remote Sens Environ. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2021.112754

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ramsay BH (2000) Prospects for the interactive multisensor snow and ice mapping system (IMS). In: Proceedings of the 57th Eastern Snow Conference, pp 161–170

  • Salunke P, Jain S, Mishra SK (2019) Performance of the CMIP5 models in the simulation of the Himalaya-Tibetan Plateau monsoon. Theoret Appl Climatol 137(1):909–928

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Seok SH, Seo KH (2021) Sensitivity of East Asian summer monsoon precipitation to the location of the Tibetan Plateau. J Clim 34(22):8829–8840

    Google Scholar 

  • Shin HH, Hong S-Y (2013) Analysis of resolved and parameterized vertical transports in convective boundary layers at gray-zone resolutions. J Atmos Sci 70(10):3248–3261

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Singh P, Nakamura K (2009) Diurnal variation in summer precipitation over the central Tibetan Plateau. J Geophys Res 114:D20107. https://doi.org/10.1029/2009JD011788

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Skamarock WC, Klemp JB, Dudhia J, Gill DO, Liu Z, Berner J et al (2019) A description of the advanced research WRF model version 4. National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, p 145

    Google Scholar 

  • Son JH, Seo KH, Wang B (2019) Dynamical control of the Tibetan Plateau on the East Asian summer monsoon. Geophys Res Lett 46(13):7672–7679

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sorooshian S, Gao X, Hsu K, Maddox RA, Hong Y, Gupta HV, Imam B (2002) Diurnal variability of tropical rainfall retrieved from combined GOES and TRMM satellite information. J Clim 15(9):983–1001. Retrieved Sep 13, 2022, from https://journals.ametsoc.org/view/journals/clim/15/9/1520-0442_2002_015_0983_dvotrr_2.0.co_2.xml

  • Sun H, Su F, He Z et al (2021) Hydrological evaluation of high-resolution precipitation estimates from the WRF model in the Third Pole river basins. J Hydrometeorol 22(8):2055–2071

    Google Scholar 

  • Tang J, Wang S, Niu X, Hui P, Zong P, Wang X (2017) Impact of spectral nudging on regional climate simulation over CORDEX East Asia using WRF. Clim Dyn 48:2339–2357. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00382-016-3208-2

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tang G, Clark MP, Papalexiou SM, Ma Z, Hong Y (2020) Have satellite precipitation products improved over last two decades? A comprehensive comparison of GPM IMERG with nine satellite and reanalysis datasets. Remote Sens Environ 240:111697. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2020.111697

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Taylor K (2001) Summarizing multiple aspects of model performance in a single diagram. J Geophys Res 106:7183–7192. https://doi.org/10.1029/2000JD900719

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tewari M, Chen F, Wang W, Dudhia J, LeMone MA, Mitchell K et al (2004) Implementation and verification of the unified NOAH land surface model in the WRF model. In: 20th conference on weather analysis and forecasting/16th Conference on numerical weather prediction (Vol. 1115, No. 6, pp. 2165–2170).

  • Thompson G, Field PR, Rasmussen RM, Hall WD (2008) Explicit forecasts of winter precipitation using an improved bulk microphysics scheme. Part II: implementation of a new snow parameterization. Mon Weather Rev 136(12):5095–5115

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Von Storch H, Langenberg H, Feser F (2000) A spectral nudging technique for dynamical downscaling purposes. Mon Weather Rev 128(10):3664–3673. https://doi.org/10.1175/1520-0493(2000)128%3c3664:ASNTFD%3e2.0.CO;2

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wang X, Pang G, Yang M (2018a) Precipitation over the Tibetan Plateau during recent decades: a review based on observations and simulations. Int J Climatol 38(3):1116–1131

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wang Y, Wang L, Li X, Chen D (2018b) Temporal and spatial changes in estimated near-surface air temperature lapse rates on Tibetan Plateau. Int J Climatol 38(7):2907–2921

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wang Y, Yang K, Zhou X et al (2020) Synergy of orographic drag parameterization and high resolution greatly reduces biases of WRF-simulated precipitation in central Himalaya. Clim Dyn 54(3):1729–1740

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wen Q, Yang H, Yang K, Li G, Liu Z, Liu J (2022) Possible thermal effect of Tibetan plateau on the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation. Geophys Res Lett 49(4):e2021GL095771

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Xie Z, Hu Z, Ma Y, Sun G, Gu L, Liu S et al (2019) Modeling blowing snow over the Tibetan Plateau with the Community Land Model: method and preliminary evaluation. J Geophys Res Atmos 124:9332–9355. https://doi.org/10.1029/2019JD030684

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Xu J, Gao Y, Chen D, Xiao L, Ou T (2017a) Evaluation of global climate models for downscaling applications centred over the Tibetan Plateau. Int J Climatol 37(2):657–671

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Xu W, Ma H, Wu D, Yuan W (2017b) Assessment of the daily cloud-free MODIS snow-cover product for monitoring the snow-cover phenology over the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. Remote Sens 9(6):585. https://doi.org/10.3390/rs9060585

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Xu J, Koldunov N, Remedio ARC et al (2018) On the role of horizontal resolution over the Tibetan Plateau in the REMO regional climate model. Clim Dyn 51(11):4525–4542

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Xu Z, Han Y, Yang Z (2019) Dynamical downscaling of regional climate: a review of methods and limitations. Sci China Earth Sci 62(2):365–375

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yan H, Huang J, He Y, Liu Y, Wang T, Li J (2020) Atmospheric water vapor budget and its long-term trend over the Tibetan Plateau. J Geophys Res Atmos 125(23):e2020JD033297

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yang G, Slingo J (2001) The Diurnal Cycle in the Tropics, Mon Weather Rev 129(4):784–801. Retrieved Sep 13, 2022, from https://journals.ametsoc.org/view/journals/mwre/129/4/1520-0493_2001_129_0784_tdcitt_2.0.co_2.xml

  • Yao T, Thompson L, Yang W et al (2012) Different glacier status with atmospheric circulations in Tibetan Plateau and surroundings. Nat Clim Change 2:663–667. https://doi.org/10.1038/nclimate1580

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yao T, Xue Y, Chen D, Chen F, Thompson L, Cui P, Li Q (2019) Recent third pole’s rapid warming accompanies cryospheric melt and water cycle intensification and interactions between monsoon and environment: Multidisciplinary approach with observations, modeling, and analysis. Bull Am Meteorol Soc 100(3):423–444

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yao T, Bolch T, Chen D et al (2022) The imbalance of the Asian water tower. Nat Rev Earth Environ 3:618–632. https://doi.org/10.1038/s43017-022-00299-4

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • You Q, Wu T, Shen L, Pepin N, Zhang L, Jiang Z, AghaKouchak A (2020) Review of snow cover variation over the Tibetan Plateau and its influence on the broad climate system. Earth Sci Rev 201:103043

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yue T, Zhao N, Fan Z, Li J, Chen C, Lu Y et al (2016) CMIP5 downscaling and its uncertainty in China. Glob Planet Change 146:30–37

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang H, Gao Y (2021) projected changes in precipitation recycling over the Tibetan Plateau based on a global and regional climate model. J Hydrometeorol 22(10):2633–2644

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhang S, Wang D, Qin Z et al (2018) Assessment of the GPM and TRMM precipitation products using the rain gauge network over the Tibetan Plateau. J Meteorol Res 32:324–336. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13351-018-7067-0

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhao Y, Zhou T, Li P, Furtado K, Zou L (2021) Added value of a convection permitting model in simulating atmospheric water cycle over the Asian Water Tower. J Geophys Res Atmos 126:e2021JD034788. https://doi.org/10.1029/2021JD034788

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhou X, Yang K, Ouyang L, Wang Y, Jiang Y, Li X, Chen D, Prein A (2021) Added value of kilometer-scale modeling over the third pole region: a CORDEX-CPTP pilot study. Clim Dyn. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00382-021-05653-8

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

The research is supported by the Second Tibetan Plateau Scientific Expedition and Research Program (STEP, Grant No.2019QZKK0206), National Key Research and Development Program of China (2018YFA0606003) and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (41875124), the Swedish Foundation for International Cooperation in Research and Higher Education (CH2019-8377), and the Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center for Climate Change.

Funding

This work was supported by the Second Tibetan Plateau Scientific Expedition and Research Program (STEP, Grant No.2019QZKK0206), National Key Research and Development Program of China (2018YFA0606003) and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (41875124) as well as the Swedish Foundation for International Cooperation in Research and Higher Education (CH2019-8377).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Contributions

All authors contributed to the study conception and design. Material preparation, data collection and analysis were performed by PZ, MM, and JT. MS, TO, and JT helped perform the analysis with constructive discussions. The first draft of the manuscript was written by PZ and all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jianping Tang.

Ethics declarations

Conflicts of interest

The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare that are relevant to the content of this article.

Consent to participate

Written informed consent was obtained from all participants.

Consent for publication

Written informed consent for publication was obtained from all participants.

Additional information

Publisher's Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Supplementary Information

Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.

Supplementary file1 (DOCX 420 KB)

Rights and permissions

Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Zhou, P., Shao, M., Ma, M. et al. WRF gray-zone dynamical downscaling over the Tibetan Plateau during 1999–2019: model performance and added value. Clim Dyn 61, 1371–1390 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00382-022-06631-4

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00382-022-06631-4

Keywords

Navigation