Identification

Title

Comparison of numerical characteristics in the Regional Model for Prediction across Scales (MPAS) and Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) models using low-level wind analysis during heavy snowfall episodes over complex terrain

Abstract

We present a comprehensive evaluation of the regional Model for Prediction Across Scales (rMPAS) in simulating heavy snowfall events during the International Collaborative Experiment for Pyeongchang Olympics and Paralympics field campaign in the Korean Peninsula. We compared rMPAS simulations with those of the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) Model and observational data for three significant snowfall events, emphasizing on their performances in capturing precipitation patterns and synoptic environments. Both the rMPAS and WRF Models effectively replicated the complex meteorological conditions of heavy snowfall events, although they overestimated precipitation. We included sensitivity experiments to compare the dynamical cores in rMPAS and WRF, which use the same physics packages. Kinetic energy spectral analysis showed remarkable similarities between rMPAS and WRF despite differences in their numerical approaches, especially at smaller spatial scales. Analysis of horizontal and vertical wind speeds revealed a consistent overestimation in both models, particularly pronounced at the surface and in the lower troposphere and gradually diminished with altitude. This trend was prominent over complex terrains, where both models simulate stronger vertical velocities compared to those of the observational data. The rMPAS model demonstrated reliable performance in winter weather prediction, comparable to that of the WRF Model, especially in the eastern coastal region of the Korean Peninsula. Further investigation is necessary to address the overestimation of low-level wind speeds for enhancing numerical weather prediction in complex topographical regions.

Resource type

document

Resource locator

Unique resource identifier

code

https://n2t.net/ark:/85065/d7g16579

codeSpace

Dataset language

eng

Spatial reference system

code identifying the spatial reference system

Classification of spatial data and services

Topic category

geoscientificInformation

Keywords

Keyword set

keyword value

Text

originating controlled vocabulary

title

Resource Type

reference date

date type

publication

effective date

2016-01-01T00:00:00Z

Geographic location

West bounding longitude

East bounding longitude

North bounding latitude

South bounding latitude

Temporal reference

Temporal extent

Begin position

End position

Dataset reference date

date type

publication

effective date

2025-03-01T00:00:00Z

Frequency of update

Quality and validity

Lineage

Conformity

Data format

name of format

version of format

Constraints related to access and use

Constraint set

Use constraints

Limitations on public access

None

Responsible organisations

Responsible party

contact position

OpenSky Support

organisation name

UCAR/NCAR - Library

full postal address

PO Box 3000

Boulder

80307-3000

email address

opensky@ucar.edu

web address

http://opensky.ucar.edu/

name: homepage

responsible party role

pointOfContact

Metadata on metadata

Metadata point of contact