chapter 4 summery Flashcards
Model domain refers to:
- Model’s forecast area of coverage
Numerical models divide into:
- Global models
- Covering the whole globe
- Regional models
- Covering a more limited area
Limited area models (LAM) boundaries
- Horizontal (lateral)
- Top and bottom (vertical)
Global models boundaries:
- One vertical boundary (by nature cover the entire earth)
Domain of an NWP model can be viewed as:
- 3D array of cubes
Describe the NWP model 3D array cubes:
- Each cube encompasses a volume of the atmosphere corresponding to a model grid point
- Forecast values for met variables in each cube are derived from
- The current values within the cubes + from the surrounding cubes
Information needed to provide forecast values for the meteorological parameters. Why?
- Cannot be determined using only the data contained in the model
- Because he cubes on the boundaries are not surrounded by other cubes on all sides
How to solve the problem?
- The information from the outside boundaries must be supplied from another source (boundary conditions)
Global model merits:
- Global coverage
- Don’t require boundary conditions
- Necessary at longer lead times when weather at a location is effected by distant weather system
Global model drawbacks:
- Coarse spatial resolution
- Need parameterization of sub grid scale physical processes
- On a regular latitude-longitude grid, the grid boxes will become smaller in the longitude direction near the poles (high possibility of CFL condition violation)
Regional models merits:
- Higher resolution
- Higher spatial resolution
- Do not require parameterization of some physical processes
- Higher spatial resolution
Regional models drawbacks:
- Require boundary conditions
- (for boundary conditions) regional models depend on global models
- Parameterization required for physical processes smaller than the grid size
Requirements to solve the forecast equations:
- Accurate information
- for all forecast variables and
- Along each model boundary
- Lateral
- Top
- Bottom
How is the lateral boundary conditions data supplied to LAM?
- Using large-domain models
Boundary values are obtained from:
- Observed data
- Data assimilation system
- Forecast values from a current or previous cycle of a large scale model (LBC in LAM)
- Climatological or fixed values
- For specifying some surface characteristics such as
- Soil moisture
- SST
- Vegetation type
- For specifying some surface characteristics such as
Favorable source of boundary values is:
- Observed data
Favorable source of lateral boundary conditions values is:
- Previous run of a large domain model
Factor effecting the quality of LAM predictions
- Quality of predictions produced by the model supplying the LBC
Consequence of errors in forecast from large domain model:
- Error will move into the LAM’s forecast domain and amplify
LBC control:
- Position
- Evolution of features that cover the entire forecast domain
Longwave patterns are largely determined by
- Boundary conditions
Weaker impacts are noted on
- Jet streaks and fronts
- Regions far downwind from the upstream boundary
Synoptic scale model supplying the boundary conditions determine
- The placement and
- Timing of synoptic scale features
Influence of boundary conditions:
- Spread away from (downstream) of the boundary
- Effects amplify downstream