<p><b>dudhia</b> 2008-06-04 18:14:20 -0600 (Wed, 04 Jun 2008)</p><p>corrections after review by Bao and John Brown<br>
</p><hr noshade><pre><font color="gray">Modified: trunk/wrf/technote/physics.tex
===================================================================
--- trunk/wrf/technote/physics.tex        2008-06-04 15:44:51 UTC (rev 81)
+++ trunk/wrf/technote/physics.tex        2008-06-05 00:14:20 UTC (rev 82)
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@
This chapter
outlines the physics options available in the {\wrf}.
The WRF physics options fall into several categories, each containing
-several options. The physics categories are (1) microphysics,
+several choices. The physics categories are (1) microphysics,
(2) cumulus parameterization, (3) planetary boundary layer (PBL),
(4) land-surface model, and (5) radiation. Diffusion, which
may also be considered part of the physics,
@@ -50,9 +50,9 @@
Microphysics includes explicitly resolved water vapor, cloud, and
precipitation processes. The model is general enough to accommodate any
-number of mass mixing-ratio variables, and other moments
+number of mass mixing-ratio variables, and other quantities
such as number concentrations. Four-dimensional arrays with three spatial
-indices and one species index are use to carry such scalars.
+indices and one species index are used to carry such scalars.
Memory, i.e., the size of the fourth dimension in these
arrays, is allocated depending on the needs of the scheme chosen,
and advection of the species also applies to all those required
@@ -67,9 +67,10 @@
heating as an approximation for the next time-step as described in Section
\ref{diabatic forcing subsection}.
-Currently, the sedimentation process is accounted for in the microphysics,
-and a smaller time step is allowed to calculate the vertical flux of
-precipitation to prevent instability. The saturation adjustment is also
+Currently, the sedimentation process is accounted for inside the
+individual microphysics modules,
+and, to prevent instability in the calculation of the vertical flux of
+precipitation, a smaller time step is allowed. The saturation adjustment is also
included inside the microphysics. In the future, however, it might be separated
into an individual
subroutine to enable the remaining microphysics to be called less frequently
@@ -123,25 +124,25 @@
snow, and graupel. All parameterization production terms are based on \citet{lin83}
and \citet{rutledge84} with some modifications, including saturation
adjustment following \citet{tao89} and ice sedimentation. This is a relatively
-sophisticated microphysics scheme in WRF, and it is more suitable for use
+sophisticated microphysics scheme in WRF, and it is most suitable for use
in research studies. The scheme is taken from the Purdue cloud model, and
the details can be found in \citet{chen02}.
\subsection{WRF Single-Moment 3-class (WSM3) scheme}
-The WRF single-moment microphysics scheme follows \citet{hong04} including ice sedimentation and other new ice-phase parameterizations. A major difference from other approaches is that a diagnostic relation is used for ice number concentration that is based on ice mass content rather than temperature. The computational procedures for WRF single-moment microphysics scheme are described in \citet{honglim06}. As with WSM5 and WSM6, the freezing/melting processes are computed during the fall-term sub-steps to increase accuracy in the vertical heating profile of these processes. The order of the processes is also optimized to decrease the sensitivity of the scheme to the time step of the model. The WSM3 scheme predicts three categories of hydrometers: vapor, cloud water/ice, and rain/snow, which is a so-called simple-ice scheme as with \citet{dudhia89}'s method in separating warn and ice phase water substance. This scheme is efficient in mesoscale grids.
+The WRF single-moment microphysics scheme follows \citet{hong04} including ice sedimentation and other new ice-phase parameterizations. A major difference from other approaches is that a diagnostic relation is used for ice number concentration that is based on ice mass content rather than temperature. The computational procedures are described in \citet{honglim06}. As with WSM5 and WSM6, the freezing/melting processes are computed during the fall-term sub-steps to increase accuracy in the vertical heating profile of these processes. The order of the processes is also optimized to decrease the sensitivity of the scheme to the time step of the model. The WSM3 scheme predicts three categories of hydrometers: vapor, cloud water/ice, and rain/snow, which is a so-called simple-ice scheme. It follows \citet{dudhia89} in assuming cloud water and rain for temperatures above freezing, and cloud ice and snow for temperatures below freezing. This scheme is computationally efficient for!
the inclusion of ice processes, but lacks supercooled water and gradual melting rates.
\subsection{WSM5 scheme}
This scheme is similar to the WSM3 simple ice scheme. However, vapor, rain, snow, cloud ice,
and cloud water are held in five different arrays. Thus, it allows supercooled water to exist, and
-a gradual melting of snow as it falls below the melting layer. Details can be found in
+a gradual melting of snow falling below the melting layer. Details can be found in
\citet{hong04}, and \citet{honglim06}. As with WSM6, the saturation adjustment follows \citet{dudhia89} and \citet{hong98} in separately treating ice and water saturation processes, rather than a combined saturation such as the Purdue Lin (above) and Goddard \citep{tao89} schemes. This scheme is efficient in intermediate grids between the mesoscale and cloud-resolving grids.
\subsection{WSM6 scheme}
The six-class scheme extends the WSM5 scheme to include graupel and its associated processes.
-Some of the graupel-related terms follows \citet{lin83}, but its behavior is much different due to the ice-phase microphysics of \citet{hong04}. A new method for representing mixed-phase particle fall speeds for the snow and graupel particles by assigning a single fallspeed to both that is weighted by the mixing ratios, and applying that fallspeed to both sedimentation and accretion processes is introduced \citep{dudhia08}. The behavior of the WSM3, WSM5, and WSM6 does not differ in mesoscale grid, but they work much differently in cloud-resolving grids. The WSM6 scheme is suitable for cloud-resolving grid, considering the efficiency and theoretical backgrounds \citep{honglim06}.
+Some of the graupel-related terms follow \citet{lin83}, but its ice-phase behavior is much different due to the changes of \citet{hong04}. A new method for representing mixed-phase particle fall speeds for the snow and graupel particles by assigning a single fallspeed to both that is weighted by the mixing ratios, and applying that fallspeed to both sedimentation and accretion processes is introduced \citep{dudhia08}. The behavior of the WSM3, WSM5, and WSM6 schemes differ little for coarser mesoscale grids, but they work much differently on cloud-resolving grids. Of the three WSM schemes, the WSM6 scheme is the most suitable for cloud-resolving grids, considering the efficiency and theoretical backgrounds \citep{honglim06}.
\subsection{Eta Grid-scale Cloud and Precipitation (2001) scheme}
@@ -172,26 +173,34 @@
on the COMET page at http://meted.ucar.edu/nwp/pcu2/etapcp1.htm.
\subsection{Thompson et al. scheme}
-The \citet{thompson04}
-microphysical parameterization scheme includes improvements to the earlier
-bulk scheme of \citet{reisner98} and has been extensively tested and compared with both
-idealized case studies and documented real case studies of mid-latitude wintertime observations.
-The scheme includes six classes of moisture species plus number concentration for ice
-as prognostic variables.
-The scheme was designed to improve the prediction of freezing drizzle events
-for aircraft safety warnings. Generally microphysical parameterizations have had problems
-of overpredicting the amount of snow and graupel fields and under predicting the ice in
-outflow regions and often not accurately predicting freezing drizzle.
-Key improvements are the following:
+A new bulk microphysical parameterization (BMP) has been developed
+for use with WRF or other mesoscale models. Compared to earlier
+single-moment BMPs, the new scheme incorporates a large number of
+improvements to both physical processes and computer coding plus
+employs many techniques found in far more sophisticated spectral/bin
+schemes using look-up tables. Unlike any other BMP, the assumed snow
+size distribution depends on both ice water content and temperature
+and is represented as a sum of exponential and gamma distributions.
+Furthermore, snow assumes a non-spherical shape with a bulk density
+that varies inversely with diameter as found in observations and in
+contrast to nearly all other BMPs that assume spherical snow with
+constant density.
+
+New features specific to this version of the bulk scheme compared
+to the \citet{thompson04} paper description include:
+
\begin{itemize}\setlength{\parskip}{-4pt}
-\item Primary ice nucleation as in \citet{cooper86}, replaces the \citet{fletcher62} curve.
-\item Auto-conversion as in \citet{walko95}, replaces the \citet{kessler69} scheme.
-\item A generalized gamma distribution for graupel replaces the exponential distribution.
-\item The associated intercept parameter depends on mixing ratio instead of remaining constant.
-\item Riming growth of snow must exceed depositional growth of snow by a factor of 3 before rimmed snow transfers into the graupel category.
-\item The intercept parameter of the snow size distribution depends on temperature.
-\item The intercept parameter for the rain size distribution depends on rain mixing ratio,
-thereby simulating the fall velocity of drizzle drops as well as raindrops.
+\item generalized gamma distribution shape for each hydrometeor species,
+\item non-spherical, variable density snow, and size distribution matching observations,
+\item y-intercept of rain depends on rain mixing ratio and whether apparent source is melted ice,
+\item y-intercept of graupel depends on graupel mixing ratio,
+\item a more accurate saturation adjustment scheme,
+\item variable gamma distribution shape parameter for cloud water droplets based on observations,
+\item look-up table for freezing of water drops,
+\item look-up table for transferring cloud ice into snow category,
+\item improved vapor deposition/sublimation and evaporation,
+\item variable collection efficiency for rain, snow, and graupel collecting cloud droplets,
+\item improved rain collecting snow and graupel.
\end{itemize}
\subsection{Goddard Cumulus Ensemble Model scheme}
@@ -362,7 +371,8 @@
\subsection{Grell-3 scheme}
-The Grell-3 scheme was introduced in Version 3. It shares a lot in
+The Grell-3 scheme was first introduced in Version 3.0, and so is
+new, and not yet well tested in many situations. It shares a lot in
common with the Grell-Devenyi in scheme, being based on an ensemble mean
approach, but the quasi-equilibrium approach is no longer included
among the ensemble members. The scheme is distinguished from other
@@ -382,7 +392,9 @@
the surface layer for the land-surface and PBL schemes.
Currently, each surface layer option is tied to particular boundary-layer
options, but in the future more interchangeability and options may become
-available.
+available. Note that some boundary layer schemes (YSU and MRF) require
+the thickness of the surface layer in the model to be representative of the
+actual surface layer (e.g. 50-100 meters).
\subsection{Similarity theory (MM5)}
@@ -478,7 +490,8 @@
to the code used in the NCEP North American Mesoscale Model (NAM). This has the benefit of
being consistent with the time-dependent soil fields provided in the analysis datasets.
This is a 4-layer soil temperature and moisture model with canopy
-moisture and snow cover prediction. It includes root zone, evapotranspiration,
+moisture and snow cover prediction. The layer thickness are 10, 30, 60 and 100 cm
+(adding to 2 meters) from the top down. It includes root zone, evapotranspiration,
soil drainage, and runoff, taking into account vegetation categories,
monthly vegetation fraction, and soil texture. The scheme provides sensible and latent
heat fluxes to the boundary-layer scheme. The Noah LSM additionally predicts
@@ -506,7 +519,7 @@
\subsection{Pleim-Xiu LSM}
-The PX LSM \citep{pleim95, xiu01}, originally based on the ISBA model \citet{noilhan89}, includes a 2-layer force-restore soil temperature and moisture model. The PX LSM features three pathways for moisture fluxes: evapotranspiration, soil evaporation, and evaporation from wet canopies. Evapotranspiration is controlled by bulk stomatal resistance that is dependent on root zone soil moisture, photosynthetically active radiation, air temperature, and the relative humidity at the leaf surface. Grid aggregate vegetation and soil parameters are derived from fractional coverages of land use categories and soil texture types. There are two indirect nudging schemes that correct biases in 2-m air temperature and RH by dynamic adjustment of soil moisture \citep{pleim03} and deep soil temperature \citep{pleim08}. Note that a small utility program (ipxwrf) can be used to propagate soil moisture and temperature between consecutive runs to create a continuous simulation of these qu!
antities.
+The PX LSM \citep{pleim95, xiu01}, originally based on the ISBA model \citet{noilhan89}, includes a 2-layer force-restore soil temperature and moisture model. The top layer is taken to be 1 cm thick, and the lower layer is 99 cm. The PX LSM features three pathways for moisture fluxes: evapotranspiration, soil evaporation, and evaporation from wet canopies. Evapotranspiration is controlled by bulk stomatal resistance that is dependent on root zone soil moisture, photosynthetically active radiation, air temperature, and the relative humidity at the leaf surface. Grid aggregate vegetation and soil parameters are derived from fractional coverages of land use categories and soil texture types. There are two indirect nudging schemes that correct biases in 2-m air temperature and RH by dynamic adjustment of soil moisture \citep{pleim03} and deep soil temperature \citep{pleim08}. Note that a small utility program (ipxwrf) can be used to propagate soil moisture and temperature!
between consecutive runs to create a continuous simulation of these quantities.
\subsection{Urban Canopy Model}
@@ -530,6 +543,8 @@
The urban canopy model estimates the surface temperature and heat
fluxes from the roof, wall and road surface. It also calculates
the momentum exchange between the urban surface and the atmosphere.
+If they are available, the UCM can take three dfferent densities
+of urban development using special land-use categories.
In Version 3, an anthropogenic heating diurnal cycle was added as
an option.
</font>
</pre>