tropical WRF setup
This setup is a practical reference configuration for WRF in tropical island environments where the main challenges are land-sea contrasts, shallow marine clouds, and strong sensitivity to parameterized convection.
Scheme table
| Scheme | Name | Number |
|---|---|---|
| Cumulus Convection | New Tiedtke | 16 |
| Microphysics | WSM 6-class graupel scheme | 6 |
| Radiation | RRTMG | 4 |
| Planetary Boundary Layer | YSU with MM5 similarity | 1 |
| Land Surface Model | Noah land surface model | 2 |
Why this setup is useful
- New Tiedtke is often a robust starting point where organized tropical convection still needs parameterization.
- WSM-6 provides a pragmatic mixed-phase microphysics option for regional sensitivity studies.
- YSU with MM5 similarity performs well as a compact reference setup for marine boundary-layer and island-circulation problems.
- Noah offers a stable land-surface baseline when the focus is atmospheric process sensitivity.
Use cases
This configuration is a good public reference for tropical downscaling studies such as the Galapagos refined analysis. It is not a universal optimum; island geometry, target resolution, and validation goals can justify different convection, PBL, or microphysics choices.
Description
See also: WRF, Dynamical downscaling, DARWIN WRF experiment suite, MOC Atmospheric Model Physics