Sensitivity of Fine-Scale Structure in Tropical Cyclone Boundary Layer to Model Horizontal Resolution at Sub-Kilometer Grid Spacing
In view of the increasing interest in the explicit simulation of fine-scale features in the tropical cyclone (TC) boundary layer (TCBL), the effects of horizontal grid spacing on a 7–10 h simulation of an idealized TC are examined using the Weather Research and Forecast (ARW-WRF) mesoscale model wit...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2021-06-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Earth Science |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/feart.2021.707274/full |
| _version_ | 1819061907369230336 |
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| author | Hongxiong Xu Yuqing Wang |
| author_facet | Hongxiong Xu Yuqing Wang |
| author_sort | Hongxiong Xu |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | In view of the increasing interest in the explicit simulation of fine-scale features in the tropical cyclone (TC) boundary layer (TCBL), the effects of horizontal grid spacing on a 7–10 h simulation of an idealized TC are examined using the Weather Research and Forecast (ARW-WRF) mesoscale model with one-way moving nests and the nonlinear backscatter with anisotropy (NBA) sub-grid-scale (SGS) scheme. In general, reducing the horizontal grid spacing from 2 km to 500 m tends to produce a stronger TC with lower minimum sea level pressure (MSLP), stronger surface winds, and smaller TC inner core size. However, large eddies cannot be resolved at these grid spacings. In contrast, reducing the horizontal grid spacing from 500 to 166 m and further to 55 m leads to a decrease in TC intensity and an increase in the inner-core TC size. Moreover, although the 166-m grid spacing starts to resolve large eddies in terms of TCBL horizontal rolls and tornado-scale vortex, the use of the finest grid spacing of 55 m tends to produce shorter wavelengths in the turbulent motion and stronger multi-scale turbulence interaction. It is concluded that a grid spacing of sub-100-meters is desirable to produce more detailed and fine-scale structure of TCBL horizontal rolls and tornado-scale vortices, while the relatively coarse sub-kilometer grid spacing (e.g., 500 m) is more cost-effective and feasible for research that is not interested in the turbulence processes and for real-time operational TC forecasting in the near future. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-21T14:50:20Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-6b6285ced9974daa9490b2b2ca6b8b93 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2296-6463 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-21T14:50:20Z |
| publishDate | 2021-06-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Earth Science |
| spelling | doaj.art-6b6285ced9974daa9490b2b2ca6b8b932022-12-21T18:59:54ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Earth Science2296-64632021-06-01910.3389/feart.2021.707274707274Sensitivity of Fine-Scale Structure in Tropical Cyclone Boundary Layer to Model Horizontal Resolution at Sub-Kilometer Grid SpacingHongxiong Xu0Yuqing Wang1State Key Laboratory of Severe Weather, Chinese Academy of Meteorological Sciences, China Meteorological Administration, Beijing, ChinaInternational Pacific Research Center and Department of Atmospheric Sciences, School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, HI, United StatesIn view of the increasing interest in the explicit simulation of fine-scale features in the tropical cyclone (TC) boundary layer (TCBL), the effects of horizontal grid spacing on a 7–10 h simulation of an idealized TC are examined using the Weather Research and Forecast (ARW-WRF) mesoscale model with one-way moving nests and the nonlinear backscatter with anisotropy (NBA) sub-grid-scale (SGS) scheme. In general, reducing the horizontal grid spacing from 2 km to 500 m tends to produce a stronger TC with lower minimum sea level pressure (MSLP), stronger surface winds, and smaller TC inner core size. However, large eddies cannot be resolved at these grid spacings. In contrast, reducing the horizontal grid spacing from 500 to 166 m and further to 55 m leads to a decrease in TC intensity and an increase in the inner-core TC size. Moreover, although the 166-m grid spacing starts to resolve large eddies in terms of TCBL horizontal rolls and tornado-scale vortex, the use of the finest grid spacing of 55 m tends to produce shorter wavelengths in the turbulent motion and stronger multi-scale turbulence interaction. It is concluded that a grid spacing of sub-100-meters is desirable to produce more detailed and fine-scale structure of TCBL horizontal rolls and tornado-scale vortices, while the relatively coarse sub-kilometer grid spacing (e.g., 500 m) is more cost-effective and feasible for research that is not interested in the turbulence processes and for real-time operational TC forecasting in the near future.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/feart.2021.707274/fulltropical cyclonesgrid spacingBoundary layer rollstornado-scale vorticesTC forecasting |
| spellingShingle | Hongxiong Xu Yuqing Wang Sensitivity of Fine-Scale Structure in Tropical Cyclone Boundary Layer to Model Horizontal Resolution at Sub-Kilometer Grid Spacing Frontiers in Earth Science tropical cyclones grid spacing Boundary layer rolls tornado-scale vortices TC forecasting |
| title | Sensitivity of Fine-Scale Structure in Tropical Cyclone Boundary Layer to Model Horizontal Resolution at Sub-Kilometer Grid Spacing |
| title_full | Sensitivity of Fine-Scale Structure in Tropical Cyclone Boundary Layer to Model Horizontal Resolution at Sub-Kilometer Grid Spacing |
| title_fullStr | Sensitivity of Fine-Scale Structure in Tropical Cyclone Boundary Layer to Model Horizontal Resolution at Sub-Kilometer Grid Spacing |
| title_full_unstemmed | Sensitivity of Fine-Scale Structure in Tropical Cyclone Boundary Layer to Model Horizontal Resolution at Sub-Kilometer Grid Spacing |
| title_short | Sensitivity of Fine-Scale Structure in Tropical Cyclone Boundary Layer to Model Horizontal Resolution at Sub-Kilometer Grid Spacing |
| title_sort | sensitivity of fine scale structure in tropical cyclone boundary layer to model horizontal resolution at sub kilometer grid spacing |
| topic | tropical cyclones grid spacing Boundary layer rolls tornado-scale vortices TC forecasting |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/feart.2021.707274/full |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT hongxiongxu sensitivityoffinescalestructureintropicalcycloneboundarylayertomodelhorizontalresolutionatsubkilometergridspacing AT yuqingwang sensitivityoffinescalestructureintropicalcycloneboundarylayertomodelhorizontalresolutionatsubkilometergridspacing |