Evaluation of the WRF Double‐Moment 6‐Class Microphysics Scheme for Precipitating Convection

Abstract

This study demonstrates the characteristics of the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) Double-Moment 6-Class (WDM6) Microphysics scheme for representing precipitating moist convection in 3D platforms, relative to the WSM6 scheme that has been widely used in the WRF community. For a case study of convective system over the Great Plains, the WDM6 scheme improves the evolutionary features such as the bow-type echo in the leading edge of the squall line. We also found that the WRF with WDM6 scheme removes spurious oceanic rainfall that is a systematic defect resulting from the use of the WSM6 scheme alone. The simulated summer monsoon rainfall in East Asia is improved by weakening (strengthening) light (heavy) precipitation activity. These changes can be explained by the fact that the WDM6 scheme has a wider range in cloud and rain number concentrations than does the WSM6 scheme.

Forecasting Summertime Surface Temperature and Precipitation in the Mexico City Metropolitan Area: Sensitivity of the WRF Model to Land Cover Changes

“…The summer temperature, humidity, and atmospheric stability conditions activated the development of convective events at various points in the region. Two simulations (in forecast mode) were performed with the modified WRF version using the Kain-Fritsch (KF) (Kain, 2004) and the Betts-MillerJanjic (BMJ) (Janjic, 1994(Janjic, , 2000 cumulus parameterization schemes and the WSM6 microphysics scheme (Hong and Lim, 2006) for both experiments. After a simulated 12 h, each experiment had captured the vertical temperature structure, but the KF scheme has a ∼2 • C negative bias near the surface ( Figure 11A) and generates a saturated layer between 700 and 550 mb that is not shown in the observed profile.…”

Analysis and evaluation of WRF microphysical schemes for deep moist convection over south-eastern South America (SESA) using microwave satellite observations and radiative transfer simulations

“…Figure 3 shows the domain considered, and Table 1 presents the different parameterizations used in the model run. The three microphysics schemes used in the present study include the WRF single-moment 6 (WSM6; Hong and Lim, 2006), the WRF double-moment 6 (WDM6; Hong et al, 2010) and the Thompson schemes (THOM; Thompson et al, 2008). The three schemes have the same number of water species (water vapour, cloud water, rainwater, cloud ice, snow and graupel).…”

Online-coupled meteorology and chemistry models: history, current status, and outlook

“…MIRAGE2 simulates prognostically a bulk cloud condensate that includes cloud water and cloud ice with water/ice fractions determined diagnostically, and precipitation is treated diagnostically. WRF/Chem includes several bulk microphysical schemes such as the Kessler scheme (Kessler 1969), the Purdue Lin scheme (Lin et al, 1983;Chen and Sun, 2002), and WRF Single-Moment (WSM) 6-class graupel scheme (Hong et al, 2006). The Purdue Lin scheme used with MOSAIC has 6 prognostic variables: water vapor, 2 bulk cloud categories (cloud water and ice), and 3 bulk precipitation categories (rain, graupel, snow/aggregates).…”