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 | New Tiedtke]] |
| Microphysics | [[wsm-6class-graupel-scheme | WSM 6-class graupel scheme]] |
| Radiation | [[rrtmg | RRTMG]] |
| Planetary Boundary Layer | [[yonsei-university-scheme | YSU]] with [[mm5-similarity-surface-layer-scheme |
| Land Surface Model | [[noah-land-surface-model | Noah land surface model]] |
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