Comparison of WRF Model Physics Parameterizations over the MENA-CORDEX Domain

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DOI: 10.4236/ajcc.2014.35042    13,054 Downloads   16,525 Views  Citations

ABSTRACT

We investigated the performance of 12 different physics configurations of the climate version of the Weather, Research and Forecasting (WRF) Model over the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) domain. Possible combinations among two Planetary Boundary Layer (PBL), three Cumulus (CUM) and two Microphysics (MIC) schemes were tested. The 2-year simulations (December 1988-November 1990) have been compared with gridded observational data and station measurements for several variables, including total precipitation and maximum and minimum 2-meter air temperature. An objective ranking method of the 12 different simulations and the selection procedure of the best performing configuration for the MENA domain are based on several statistical metrics and carried out for relevant sub-domains and individual stations. The setup for cloud microphysics is found to have the strongest impact on temperature biases while precipitation is most sensitive to the cumulus parameterization scheme and mainly in the tropics.

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Zittis, G. , Hadjinicolaou, P. and Lelieveld, J. (2014) Comparison of WRF Model Physics Parameterizations over the MENA-CORDEX Domain. American Journal of Climate Change, 3, 490-511. doi: 10.4236/ajcc.2014.35042.

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