scholarly journals Evaluating a mesoscale atmosphere model and a satellite-based algorithm in estimating extreme rainfall events in northwestern Turkey

2014 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. 611-624 ◽  
Author(s):  
I. Yucel ◽  
A. Onen
Keyword(s):  
Data Assimilation ◽  
Heavy Rainfall ◽  
Weather Prediction ◽  
Wrf Model ◽  
Early Warning Systems ◽  
Hydrologic Model ◽  
Rainfall Events ◽  
Extreme Precipitation Events ◽  
Precipitation Estimates ◽  
Heavy Rainfall Events

Abstract. Quantitative precipitation estimates are obtained with more uncertainty under the influence of changing climate variability and complex topography from numerical weather prediction (NWP) models. On the other hand, hydrologic model simulations depend heavily on the availability of reliable precipitation estimates. Difficulties in estimating precipitation impose an important limitation on the possibility and reliability of hydrologic forecasting and early warning systems. This study examines the performance of the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model and the Multi Precipitation Estimates (MPE) algorithm in producing the temporal and spatial characteristics of the number of extreme precipitation events observed in the western Black Sea region of Turkey. Precipitation derived from WRF model with and without the three-dimensional variational (3DVAR) data assimilation scheme and MPE algorithm at high spatial resolution (5 km) are compared with gauge precipitation. WRF-derived precipitation showed capabilities in capturing the timing of precipitation extremes and to some extent the spatial distribution and magnitude of the heavy rainfall events, whereas MPE showed relatively weak skills in these aspects. WRF skills in estimating such precipitation characteristics are enhanced with the application of the 3DVAR scheme. Direct impact of data assimilation on WRF precipitation reached up to 12% and at some points there is a quantitative match for heavy rainfall events, which are critical for hydrological forecasts.

scholarly journals Evaluating the extreme precipitation events using a mesoscale atmosphere model and satellite based precipitation product

2013 ◽  
Vol 1 (6) ◽  
pp. 6979-7014
Author(s):  
I. Yucel ◽  
A. Onen
Keyword(s):  
Data Assimilation ◽  
Extreme Precipitation ◽  
Heavy Rainfall ◽  
Wrf Model ◽  
Hydrologic Model ◽  
Rainfall Events ◽  
Extreme Precipitation Events ◽  
Precipitation Estimates ◽  
Heavy Rainfall Events ◽  
Precipitation Events

Abstract. Quantitative precipitation estimates are obtained with more uncertainty under the influence of changing climate variability and complex topography from numerical weather prediction (NWP) models. On the other hand, hydrologic model simulations depend heavily on the availability of reliable precipitation estimates. Difficulties in estimating precipitation impose an important limitation on the possibility and reliability of hydrologic forecasting and early warning systems. This study examines the performance of the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model and the Multi Precipitation Estimates (MPE) algorithm in producing the temporal and spatial characteristics of the number of extreme precipitation events observed in the West Black Sea Region of Turkey. Precipitations derived from WRF model with and without three-dimensional variational (3-DVAR) data assimilation scheme and MPE algorithm at high spatial resolution (4 km) are compared with gauge precipitation. WRF-derived precipitation showed capabilities in capturing the timing of precipitation extremes and in some extent the spatial distribution and magnitude of the heavy rainfall events wheras MPE showed relatively weak skills in these aspects. WRF skills in estimating such precipitation characteristics are enhanced with the application of 3-DVAR scheme. Direct impact of data assimilation on WRF precipitation reached to 12% and at some points there exists quantitative match for heavy rainfall events, which are critical for hydrological forecast.

Sensitivity of Rainfall to Cumulus Parameterization Schemes from a WRF Model over the City of Douala in Cameroon

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roméo S. Tanessong ◽  
A. J. Komkoua Mbienda ◽  
G. M. Guenang ◽  
S. Kaissassou ◽  
Lucie A. Tchotchou Djiotang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Heavy Rainfall ◽  
Wrf Model ◽  
Early Warning Systems ◽  
Cumulus Parameterization ◽  
Rainfall Events ◽  
Parameterization Schemes ◽  
K Index ◽  
Cumulus Parameterization Schemes ◽  
The City ◽  
Heavy Rainfall Events

With the recurrence of extreme weather events in Central Africa, it becomes imperative to provide high-resolution forecasts for better decision-making by the Early warning systems. This study assesses the performance of the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model to simulate heavy rainfall that affected the city of Douala in Cameroon during 19–21 August 2020. The WRF model is configured with two domains with horizontal resolutions of 15 and 5[Formula: see text]km, 33 vertical levels using eight cumulus parameterization schemes (CPSs). The WRF model performance is assessed by investigating the agreement between simulations and observations. Categorical and deterministic statistics are used, which include the probability of detection (POD), the success ratio (SR), the equitable threat score (ETS), the pattern correlation coefficient (PCC), the root mean square error (RMSE), the mean absolute error (MAE), and the BIAS. K-index is finally used to assess the capacity of the WRF model to predict the instability of the atmosphere in Douala during the above-mentioned period. It is found that (1) The POD, SR and ETS decrease when the threshold increases, showing the difficulty of the WRF model to predict and locate heavy rainfall events; (2) There are important differences in the rainfall area simulated by the eight CPSs; (3) The BIAS is negative for the eight CPSs, implying that all of the CPSs tested underestimate the rainfall over the study area; (4) Some of the CPSs have good agreement with observations, especially the new modifed Tiedtke and the Betts–Miller–Janjic schemes; (5) The K-index, an atmospheric instability index, is well predicted by the eight CPSs tested in this work. Overall, the WRF model exhibits a strong ability for rainfall simulation in the study area. The results point out that heavy rainfall events in tropical areas are very sensitive to CPSs and study domain. Therefore, sensitivity tests studies should be multiplied in order to identify most suitable CPSs for a given area.

scholarly journals Sensitivity of Simulations of Zambian Heavy Rainfall Events to the Atmospheric Boundary Layer Schemes

Climate ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 38
Author(s):  
Mary-Jane M. Bopape ◽  
David Waitolo ◽  
Robert S. Plant ◽  
Elelwani Phaduli ◽  
Edson Nkonde ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Heavy Rainfall ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Weather Forecasting ◽  
Weather Prediction ◽  
Wrf Model ◽  
Extreme Rainfall ◽  
Maximum Temperature ◽  
Rainfall Events ◽  
Heavy Rainfall Events

Weather forecasting relies on the use of numerical weather prediction (NWP) models, whose resolution is informed by the available computational resources. The models resolve large scale processes, while subgrid processes are parametrized. One of the processes that is parametrized is turbulence which is represented in planetary boundary layer (PBL) schemes. In this study, we evaluate the sensitivity of heavy rainfall events over Zambia to four different PBL schemes in the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model using a parent domain with a 9 km grid length and a 3 km grid spacing child domain. The four PBL schemes are the Yonsei University (YSU), nonlocal first-order medium-range forecasting (MRF), University of Washington (UW) and Mellor–Yamada–Nakanishi–Niino (MYNN) schemes. Simulations were done for three case studies of extreme rainfall on 17 December 2016, 21 January 2017 and 17 April 2019. The use of YSU produced the highest rainfall peaks across all three cases; however, it produced performance statistics similar to UW that are higher than those of the two other schemes. These statistics are not maintained when adjusted for random hits, indicating that the extra events are mainly random rather than being skillfully placed. UW simulated the lowest PBL height, while MRF produced the highest PBL height, but this was not matched by the temperature simulation. The YSU and MYNN PBL heights were intermediate at the time of the peak; however, MYNN is associated with a slower decay and higher PBL heights at night. WRF underestimated the maximum temperature during all cases and for all PBL schemes, with a larger bias in the MYNN scheme. We support further use of the YSU scheme, which is the scheme selected for the tropical suite in WRF. The different simulations were in some respects more similar to one another than to the available observations. Satellite rainfall estimates and the ERA5 reanalysis showed different rainfall distributions, which indicates a need for more ground observations to assist with studies like this one.

scholarly journals Impact of Radiance Data Assimilation on the Prediction of Heavy Rainfall in RMAPS: A Case Study

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (9) ◽  
pp. 1380 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yanhui Xie ◽  
Jiancheng Shi ◽  
Shuiyong Fan ◽  
Min Chen ◽  
Youjun Dou ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Data Assimilation ◽  
Heavy Rainfall ◽  
Precipitation Forecast ◽  
Observation Data ◽  
Rainfall Events ◽  
Satellite Radiance Data ◽  
Radiance Data ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Heavy Rainfall Events

Herein, a case study on the impact of assimilating satellite radiance observation data into the rapid-refresh multi-scale analysis and prediction system (RMAPS) is presented. This case study targeted the 48 h period from 19–20 July 2016, which was characterized by the passage of a low pressure system that produced heavy rainfall over North China. Two experiments were performed and 24 h forecasts were produced every 3 h. The results indicated that the forecast prior to the satellite radiance data assimilation could not accurately predict heavy rainfall events over Beijing and the surrounding area. The assimilation of satellite radiance data from the advanced microwave sounding unit-A (AMSU-A) and microwave humidity sounding (MHS) improved the skills of the quantitative precipitation forecast to a certain extent. In comparison with the control experiment that only assimilated conventional observations, the experiment with the integrated satellite radiance data improved the rainfall forecast accuracy for 6 h accumulated precipitation after about 6 h, especially for rainfall amounts that were greater than 25 mm. The average rainfall score was improved by 14.2% for the 25 mm threshold and by 35.8% for 50 mm of rainfall. The results also indicated a positive impact of assimilating satellite radiances, which was primarily reflected by the improved performance of quantitative precipitation forecasting and higher spatial correlation in the forecast range of 6–12 h. Satellite radiance observations provided certain valuable information that was related to the temperature profile, which increased the scope of the prediction of heavy rainfall and led to an improvement in the rainfall scoring in the RMAPS. The inclusion of satellite radiance observations was found to have a small but beneficial impact on the prediction of heavy rainfall events as it relates to our case study conditions. These findings suggest that the assimilation of satellite radiance data in the RMAPS can provide an overall improvement in heavy rainfall forecasting.

Added-Value of 3DVAR Data Assimilation in the Simulation of Heavy Rainfall Events Over West and Central Africa

2015 ◽  
Vol 172 (10) ◽  
pp. 2751-2776 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Moudi Igri ◽  
Roméo S. Tanessong ◽  
D. A. Vondou ◽  
F. Kamga Mkankam ◽  
Jagabandhu Panda
Keyword(s):  
Data Assimilation ◽  
Heavy Rainfall ◽  
Central Africa ◽  
Added Value ◽  
Rainfall Events ◽  
West And Central Africa ◽  
Heavy Rainfall Events

scholarly journals Effect of Logarithmically Transformed IMERG Precipitation Observations in WRF 4D-Var Data Assimilation System

Water ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (7) ◽  
pp. 1918
Author(s):  
Jiaying Zhang ◽  
Liao-Fan Lin ◽  
Rafael L. Bras
Keyword(s):  
Data Assimilation ◽  
Weather Prediction ◽  
Wrf Model ◽  
Heavy Precipitation ◽  
Convective Precipitation ◽  
Regular Space ◽  
Observation Error ◽  
Central United States ◽  
Precipitation Estimates ◽  
Constant Observation

Precipitation estimates from numerical weather prediction (NWP) models are uncertain. The uncertainties can be reduced by integrating precipitation observations into NWP models. This study assimilates Version 04 Integrated Multi-satellite Retrievals for the Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) (IMERG) Final Run into the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model data assimilation (WRFDA) system using a four-dimensional variational (4D-Var) method. Three synoptic-scale convective precipitation events over the central United States during 2015–2017 are used as case studies. To investigate the effect of logarithmically transformed IMERG precipitation in the WRFDA system, this study reports on several experiments with six-hour and hourly assimilation windows, regular (nontransformed) and logarithmically transformed observations, and a constant observation error in regular and logarithmic spaces. Results show that hourly assimilation windows improve precipitation simulations significantly compared to six-hour windows. Logarithmically transformed precipitation does not improve precipitation estimations relative to nontransformed precipitation. However, better predictions of heavy precipitation can be achieved with a constant error in the logarithmic space (corresponding to a linearly increasing error in the regular space), which modifies the threshold of rejecting observations, and thus utilizes more observations. This study provides a cost function with logarithmically transformed observations for the 4D-Var method in the WRFDA system for future investigations.

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