EXPERIMENTAL STUDY OF THE ROLE OF INITIAL AND BOUNDARY CONDITIONS IN MESOSCALE NUMERICAL WEATHER PREDICTION

~~EXPERIMENTAL STUDY OF THE ROLE OF INITIAL AND BOUNDARY CONDITIONS IN MESOSCALE NUMERICAL WEATHER PREDICTION@闫敬华$Guangzhou Institute of Tropical & Marine Meteorology, CMA, Guangzhou 510080 China @Detlev Majewski$Duetscher Wetterdinst, Offenbach, Germany~~National Project "973" (Research on Heavy Rain in China) and BMBF of Germany (WTZ- Project CHN01/106)…     

北京地区中尺度非静力数值预报系统的开发与实时预报应用

国家气象中心与北京市气象局联合开发并将于1999年底建成“北京地区中尺度数值天气预报业务系统”。作为开发的第一阶段,以PSU/NCAR的MM5非静力中尺度模式为基础,在国家气象中心IBM/SP2机并行运算环境下与国家气象中心资料源连接并应用北京地区加密地面观测资料,初步建成了“北京地区中尺度数值天气预报试验系统”（以下简称BJ-MM5V.1）。模式设计为垂直23层,水平分辨率分别为45和15km的两重双向嵌套网格。在IBM/SP2计算机上用24个节点作36 h预报所需机时为2 h 20 min,满足实时业务预报需要。该系统于1997年夏季进行了实时运行试验,可提供北京地区每小时降水量预报每3 h多种气象要素预报,预报产品在北京市气象局试用。结果表明,系统有较强的稳定性和实用性,对降水时空分布的预报效果较好。     

Effects of terrain-following vertical coordinates on high-resolution NWP simulations

With increasing resolution in numerical weather prediction(NWP)models,the model topography can be described with finer resolution and includes steeper slopes.Consequently,negative effects of the traditional terrain-following vertical coordinate on high-resolution numerical simulations become more distinct due to larger errors in the pressure gradient force(PGF)calculation and associated distortions of the gravity wave along the coordinate surface.A series of numerical experiments have been conducted in this study,including idealized test cases of gravity wave simulation over a complex mountain,error analysis of the PGP estimation over a real topography,and a suite of real-data test cases.The GRAPES-Meso model is utilized with four different coordinates,i.e.,the traditional terrain-following vertical coordinate proposed by Gal-Chen and Somerville(hereinafter referred to as the Gal.C.S coordinate),the one-scale smoothed level(SLEVE1),the two-scale smoothed level(SLEVE2),and the COSINE(COS)coordinates.The results of the gravity wave simulation indicate that the GRAPES-Meso model generally can reproduce the mountain-induced gravity waves,which are consistent with the analytic solution.However,the shapes,vertical structures,and intensities of the waves are better simulated with the SLEVE2 coordinate than with the other three coordinates.The model with the COS coordinate also performs well,except at lower levels where it is not as effective as the SLEVE2 coordinate in suppressing the PGF errors.In contrast,the gravity waves simulated in both the Gal.C.S and SLEVE1 coordinates are relatively distorted.The estimated PGF errors in a rest atmosphere over the real complex topography are much smaller(even disappear at the middle and upper levels)in the GRAPES-Meso model using the SLEVE2 and COS coordinates than those using the Gal.C.S and SLEVE1 coordinates.The results of the real-data test cases conducted over a one-month period suggest that the three modified vertical coordinates(SLEVE1,SLEVE2,and COS coordinates)give better results than the traditional Gal.C.S coordinate in terms of forecasting bias and root mean square error,and forecasting anomaly correlation coefficients.In conclusion,the SLEVE2 coordinate is proved to be the best option for the GRAPES-Meso model.     

Radar data assimilation of the GRAPES model and experimental results in a typhoon case

Constructing β-mesoscale weather systems in initial fields remains a challenging problem in a mesoscale numerical weather prediction (NWP) model. Without vertical velocity matching the β-mesoscale weather system, convection activities would be suppressed by downdraft and cooling caused by precipitating hydrometeors. In this study, a method, basing on the three-dimensional variational (3DVAR) assimilation technique, was developed to obtain reasonable structures of β-mesoscale weather systems by assimilating radar data in a next-generation NWP system named GRAPES (the Global and Regional Assimilation and Prediction System) of China. Single-point testing indicated that assimilating radial wind significantly improved the horizontal wind but had little effect on the vertical velocity, while assimilating the retrieved vertical velocity (taking Richardson's equation as the observational operator) can greatly improve the vertical motion. Experiments on a typhoon show that assimilation of the radial wind data can greatly improve the prediction of the typhoon track, and can ameliorate precipitation to some extent. Assimilating the retrieved vertical velocity and rainwater mixing ratio, and adjusting water vapor and cloud water mixing ratio in the initial fields simultaneously, can significantly improve the tropical cyclone rainfall forecast but has little effect on typhoon path. Joint assimilating these three kinds of radar data gets the best results. Taking into account the scale of different weather systems and representation of observational data, data quality control, error setting of background field and observation data are still requiring further in-depth study.     

NWP产品在强对流天气诊断分析中的应用

利用ECMWF、T213、T106数值预报产品及各物理量场,对已知中尺度系统发生发展的大尺度条件,预报中尺度环流出现的统计概率进行探讨:首先将武汉中心气象台过去总结的强对流天气模型与数值预报产品中的环流形势进行对比分析,当所预报的环流形势满足强对流天气模型时,认为大尺度条件将会促进中尺度天气的发生发展。再对数值预报产品中的有关物理要素场和值进行诊断分析,当所诊断的结果反映出有中尺度次级环流出现或有利中尺度对流天气发生时,最后对强对流天气落区、落点及降水性质进行诊断分析。同时,还利用AREM中尺度数值模式对2002年7月21~24日过程进行诊断分析,预报效果较好。,通过诊断分析,得出了强对流天气落区、落点及降水性质与各要素之间预报场和值的关系,同时也为今后精细化预报提供了启示和参考。     

An Impact Study of the Vertical Coordinate on a Non-hydrostatic Mesoscale High-Resolution Model

With the high-speed development of high-powered computer techniques, it is possible that a high-resolution and multi-scale unified numerical model is applied to the operational weather prediction. Some techniques about mesoscale non-hydrostatic numerical weather prediction are addressed, and the impact of the vertical coordinate system is one of them. Based on WRF (Weather Research and Forecasting) model, the influence of vertical coordinates on the non-hydrostatic mesoscale high-resolution model is compared. The results show that the error of various coordinates in lower levels is almost same when we use the geometry height (z) and the pressure (p) to set up a terrain-following coordinate; but the error of the height terrain-following coordinate in higher levels is smaller than that of the pressure terrain-following coordinate. The higher the resolution is, the bigger the error will be. The results of the high-resolution simulation exhibited that the trend of the difference in the two coordinates existed. In addition, the correlative coefficient and standard error are also analysed by the comparison between the forecast fields and the corresponding analysis fields.     

Relative effects of solar and infrared radiative forcing in a mesoscale model

A new efficient parameterization scheme for solar short-wave radiative heating, as a component of the net radiative effects in the atmosphere, is tested in a three-dimensional mesoscale model. This model is designed with moist convective processes in mind, so that the radiative parameterization (solar plus thermal infrared) are interactive with the cloud field. Previous work by the authors with only an infrared scheme has demonstrated that cloud-radiation interactions are characterized by strong cloud-top cooling, leading to upper cloud-layer destabilization. The effects of including solar heating are to modulate the strength of the strong infrared cooling, thereby leading to weaker interactions between clouds, radiation, and mesoscale fields. The present study shows that even on the mesoscale and for relatively short time-spans, radiative processes in the presence of clouds are not negligible.As a further step, a simple fractional cloud cover parameterization is introduced and the model response is compared with results omitting this parameterization.     

不稳定边界层下地形重力内波

水槽实验及线性理论研究表明,当低层大气处于近中性或不稳定时,如果地形引起的动力扰动足够强,地形扰动可在上部稳定层结中激发出重力内波,波动反过来影响低层流场,引起动量输送。低层大气处于近中性或不稳定时,地形波同样对大气运动可产生波阻,这应引起模式工作者的重视。最后讨论了大气粘性对中性或不稳定层结下地形波的影响。     

国家级强对流天气综合业务支撑体系建设

国家级强对流天气预报业务正在从以短期预报为主调整到短期和短时预报并重的业务格局。文章从强对流天气预报技术发展与服务需求的角度,重点介绍了国家级强对流天气综合业务支撑平台及其核心技术。该平台以气象数据组织和图形化表达两个核心要求为牵引,发展了数据分析处理系统、自动气象绘图系统和WEB检索与显示系统。数据分析处理系统基于多源观测资料、中尺度数值预报和全球数值预报,发展了集约、高效的强对流天气监测和临近预报、短时预报和短期预报等数据分析处理技术,是整个平台的核心;主要核心技术包括:从不稳定与能量、水汽、抬升与垂直风切变等条件出发,以归纳总结的分类强对流天气概念模型为基础的分类强对流短期预报分析技术;应用"配料法"发展的分类分等级的强对流天气客观概率预报技术;强对流短时预报技术包括高分辨率数值预报释用、多模式预报集成、对流尺度分析、实况和模式探空分析等多项技术,重点实现了从过去3 h实况到未来12 h预报的无缝隙衔接;强对流的监测和临近预报技术在基于多源资料的强对流天气实况与强对流系统监测技术基础上,发展了基于雷达特征量、强对流实况、各类强对流指数和预警信号等多源信息的报警技术。自动气象绘图系统实现了高效、便捷地接入多种数据、自动进行数据分析和制图等多项功能。在预报服务方面,基于WebGIS发展了县级分类强对流预警信号和国家级分类强对流预警预报产品共享技术,实现强对流短时预报业务的高交互性与上下互通的功能。     

低层不稳定大气边界层中的地形阻力

采用两层大气模式,通过求解线性化大气动力学—热力学方程组,得到在上层稳定层结覆盖的不稳定大气边界层中,简单三维地形引起的地形波及其波动阻力的解析表达式。讨论了地形及大气条件对地形波及波动阻力的影响。结果表明:即使在大气低层为不稳定边界层时,三维地形引起的波动在大气动量平衡中仍可起明显作用。     

北京地区风廓线仪布网方案的数值研究

文中利用北京地区中尺度数值天气预报业务系统 ,通过进行多个例数值对比试验 ,对在北京地区如何进行风廓线仪布网进行了数值研究。结果表明大气风场随高度的垂直分布和变化对天气过程有明显的作用 ,在较短时期就可对大气的空间特征形成深厚的影响 ,天气系统对大气风场的垂直结构特征是较为敏感的。其可在短期天气过程中影响天气系统的温度场结构及相关降水过程 ,且在以上影响随着预报时效的增加而增强的同时 ,影响范围也随预报时效的增加而扩大。对中尺度数值预报和北京地区的风廓线仪布点方案来说 ,以核心区域 (北京市城区 )为中心的呈近等边三角形的布网方案具有与近正四边形布网方案相当的探测效果 ,选择近等边三角形布网方案 ,较选择较近正四边形布网方案更为合理。可节省大量的资源及经费。文中所研究方法和结果对在有限区域如何选择风廓线仪布网方案具有广泛的借鉴意义和实际应用价值。     

Initializing a Mesoscale Boundary-Layer Model with Radiosonde Observations

A mesoscale boundary-layer model is used to simulate low-level regional wind fields over the La Plata River of South America, a region characterized by a strong daily cycle of land–river surface-temperature contrast and low-level circulations of sea–land breeze type. The initial and boundary conditions are defined from a limited number of local observations and the upper boundary condition is taken from the only radiosonde observations available in the region. The study considers 14 different upper boundary conditions defined from the radiosonde data at standard levels, significant levels, level of the inversion base and interpolated levels at fixed heights, all of them within the first 1500 m. The period of analysis is 1994–2008 during which eight daily observations from 13 weather stations of the region are used to validate the 24-h surface-wind forecast. The model errors are defined as the root-mean-square of relative error in wind-direction frequency distribution and mean wind speed per wind sector. Wind-direction errors are greater than wind-speed errors and show significant dispersion among the different upper boundary conditions, not present in wind speed, revealing a sensitivity to the initialization method. The wind-direction errors show a well-defined daily cycle, not evident in wind speed, with the minimum at noon and the maximum at dusk, but no systematic deterioration with time. The errors grow with the height of the upper boundary condition level, in particular wind direction, and double the errors obtained when the upper boundary condition is defined from the lower levels. The conclusion is that defining the model upper boundary condition from radiosonde data closer to the ground minimizes the low-level wind-field errors throughout the region.     

Numerical Weather Prediction in China in the New Century ——Progress, Problems and Prospects

This paper summarizes the recent progress of numerical weather prediction(NWP)research since the last review was published.The new generation NWP system named GRAPES(the Global and Regional Assimila- tion and Prediction System),which consists of variational or sequential data assimilation and nonhydrostatic prediction model with options of configuration for either global or regional domains,is briefly introduced, with stress on their scientific design and preliminary results during pre-operational implementation.In ad- dition to the development of GRAPES,the achievements in new methodologies of data assimilation,new improvements of model physics such as parameterization of clouds and planetary boundary layer,mesoscale ensemble prediction system and numerical prediction of air quality are presented.The scientific issues which should be emphasized for the future are discussed finally.     

北京地区中尺度非静力数值预报产品释用技术研究

在国家气象中心与北京市气象局联合开发的“北京地区中尺度数值预报业务系统”基础上，充分利用高分辨率中尺度数值预报产品和地面加密气象观测资料，分别使用统计和动力释用方法进行局地温度、风和北京市区空气污染状况的预报。试预报结果表明，用卡尔曼滤波方法建立的温度和风的预报效果高于中尺度数值预报直接输出结果；使用中尺度数值预报结果作为一个简单的污染预报动力模式的气象背景场，进行了污染预报试验，结果表明该预报方法具有一定的预报能力，其中SO₂、NO₂、CO浓度的预报准确率在夏、秋、冬三季中均可达到65%以上。上述研究成果已用于业务预报。     

Mesoscale Structure of Trade Wind Convection over Puerto Rico: Composite Observations and Numerical Simulation

We examine the mesoscale structure of the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL), low-level circulation, and trade wind convection over the sub-tropical island of Puerto Rico in mid-summer. Shallow afternoon thunderstorms are frequently seen over the western plains of the island. Observational data include automatic weather station measurements, radiosonde profiles, infrared satellite images, and mesoscale reanalysis data with a focus on the summer of 2006. Satellite microwave radar data (TRMM and CloudSat) indicate that island clouds typically extend just above the −20°C level during afternoon hours with reflectivity values reaching 50 dBz. A singular value decomposition of 3-hourly high resolution satellite rainfall maps reveals an island mode. From this a composite is constructed for a group of ten cases. With a Froude number ≈1 the trade winds pass over the mountains and standing vortices and gravity waves are trapped in the meandering wake. The Weather and Research Forecasting (WRF) model at 1-km resolution with 51 vertical layers is used to simulate the short-lived thunderstorms for two cases: 27 June and 20 July 2006. The model correctly locates the convective cells that develop between 1400 and 1700 LST. The shallow afternoon thunderstorms are triggered by surface heat fluxes, confluent sea breezes and a mountain wake. Recommendations for enhanced observations are given.     

对流边界层中过山气流的数值模拟

采用ARPS4.0非静力中尺度气象模式模拟了对流边界层中气流过山引起的地形波,讨论了地形及大气条件改变对其的影响.模拟表明,当大气边界层是对流边界层时,气流过山引起的地形强迫,仍能在上部稳定层结中造成足够的垂直扰动,产生向上传播的重力内波,重力内波引起的波动阻力仍不可忽略.     

Coupling effect diagnoses of quasi-stationary mesoscale vortex in Guangxi rainstorm process of China

The mesoscale weather system which affected the Guangxi flash-flood-producing rainstorm of China in June 2008 is a quasi-stationary mesoscale vortex. Its genesis and development is closely related to the coupling effects of weather systems in different scales and different latitudes. On the one hand, the coupling of synoptic scale high- and low-level jets provides the environmental conditions for development of vortices and vertical circulations in the mesoscale vortex; On the other hand, the coupling of waves in mid-latitude westerlies and perturbations in low-latitude warm-moist flow under the influence of complex terrain makes the mesoscale vortex circulations strengthened. With the piecewise potential vorticity (PV) inversion method, PV anomalies in different regions are analyzed; also the vortex-vortex interactions and vortex-background flow interactions are diagnosed. Thus, the reasons why the mesoscale is quasi-stationary at first, while developing and deepening later are indicated. Under the condition of coupling effects, the vertical motions accompanied with the mesoscale vortex can be diagnosed with the PV-ω inversion system based on the analysis of quasi-balanced flow.     

THE BEIJING AREA MESOSCALE NWP SYSTEM AND ITS APPLICATION

Significant progress has been made on the development of mesoscale numerical weather prediction(NWP)system for Beijing area,as a joint project of the National Meteorological Center(NMC)andthe Beijing Meteorological Bureau(BMB).On the basis of the non-hydrostatic mesoscale model PSU/NCAR MM5,a mesoscale NWP system for Beijing area(BJ-MM5V.1)has been developed on thecomputer IBM/SP2 MPP with 24 nodes at NMC.As a two-way nested grid model two grids arechosen with 45 and 15km grid length respectively,and 23 levels in the vertical.It takes 2 hours and20 minutes to make a 36h forecast,which satisfies the time requirement for the operational use.Inaddition to the routine data received from GTS at NMC,the enhanced observations over Beijingregion are used for the objective analyses.This system was put into semi-operational use during thesummer of 1997 to test its performance.The forecast products,hourly rainfalls and all of themeteorological elements needed,are provided to the forecasters at BMB for use.It is identified fromthe test results that the system is robust and has pretty good ability to forecast the spatial andtemporal distribution of the precipitation for the local heavy rainfalls.     

机器学习在强对流监测预报中的应用进展

近年来,机器学习理论和方法应用蓬勃发展,已在强对流天气监测和预报中广泛应用.各类机器学习算法,包括传统机器学习算法(如随机森林、决策树、支持向量机、神经网络等)和深度学习方法,已在强对流监测、短时临近预报、短期预报领域发挥了积极的重要作用,其应用效果往往明显优于依靠统计特征或者主观经验积累的传统方法.机器学习方法能够更...