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Evaluation of weather research and forecasting model parameterizations under sea-breeze conditions in a North Sea coastal environment

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Abstract

Three atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) schemes and two land surface models that are used in the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model, version 3.4.1, were evaluated with numerical simulations by using data from the north coast of France (Dunkerque). The ABL schemes YSU (Yonsei University), ACM2 (Asymmetric Convective Model version 2), and MYJ (Mellor–Yamada–Janjic) were combined with two land surface models, Noah and RUC (Rapid Update Cycle), in order to determine the performances under sea-breeze conditions. Particular attention is given in the determination of the thermal internal boundary layer (TIBL), which is very important in air pollution scenarios. The other physics parameterizations used in the model were consistent for all simulations. The predictions of the sea-breeze dynamics output from the WRF model were compared with observations taken from sonic detection and ranging, light detection and ranging systems and a meteorological surface station to verify that the model had reasonable accuracy in predicting the behavior of local circulations. The temporal comparisons of the vertical and horizontal wind speeds and wind directions predicted by the WRF model showed that all runs detected the passage of the sea-breeze front. However, except for the combination of MYJ and Noah, all runs had a time delay compared with the frontal passage measured by the instruments. The proposed study shows that the synoptic wind attenuated the intensity and penetration of the sea breeze. This provided changes in the vertical mixing in a short period of time and on soil temperature that could not be detected by the WRF model simulations with the computational grid used. Additionally, among the tested schemes, the combination of the localclosure MYJ scheme with the land surface Noah scheme was able to produce the most accurate ABL height compared with observations, and it was also able to capture the TIBL.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Federal University of Espírito Santo, Vitória, Espírito Santo, Brazil

    Nadir Salvador, Neyval Costa Reis Jr., Jane Meri Santos, Taciana Toledo de Almeida Albuquerque, Ayres Geraldo Loriato & Davidson Martins Moreira

  2. Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil

    Taciana Toledo de Almeida Albuquerque

  3. Université Lille Nord de France, Lille, France

    Hervé Delbarre, Patrick Augustin & Anton Sokolov

  4. Integrated Center for Manufacturing and Technology, Salvador, Bahia, Brazil

    Davidson Martins Moreira

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  1. Nadir Salvador
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  2. Neyval Costa Reis Jr.
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Correspondence to Davidson Martins Moreira.

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Supported by National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (301591/2009-1).

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Salvador, N., Reis, N.C., Santos, J.M. et al. Evaluation of weather research and forecasting model parameterizations under sea-breeze conditions in a North Sea coastal environment. J Meteorol Res 30, 998–1018 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13351-016-6019-9

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