Applying a Mesoscale Atmospheric Model to Svalbard Glaciers

The mesoscale atmospheric model WRF is used over three Svalbard glaciers. The simulations are done with a setup of the model corresponding to the state-of-the-art model for polar conditions, Polar WRF, and it was validated using surface observations. The ERA-Interim reanalysis was used for boundary...

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Main Authors: Björn Claremar, Friedrich Obleitner, Carleen Reijmer, Veijo Pohjola, Anna Waxegård, Florian Karner, Anna Rutgersson
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2012-01-01
Series:Advances in Meteorology
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2012/321649
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author Björn Claremar
Friedrich Obleitner
Carleen Reijmer
Veijo Pohjola
Anna Waxegård
Florian Karner
Anna Rutgersson
author_facet Björn Claremar
Friedrich Obleitner
Carleen Reijmer
Veijo Pohjola
Anna Waxegård
Florian Karner
Anna Rutgersson
author_sort Björn Claremar
collection DOAJ
description The mesoscale atmospheric model WRF is used over three Svalbard glaciers. The simulations are done with a setup of the model corresponding to the state-of-the-art model for polar conditions, Polar WRF, and it was validated using surface observations. The ERA-Interim reanalysis was used for boundary forcing and the model was used with three nested smaller domains, 24 and 8 km, and 2.7 km resolution. The model was used for a two-year period as well as for a more detailed study using 3 summer and winter months. In addition sensitivity tests using finer horizontal and vertical resolution in the boundary layer and using different physics schemes were performed. Temperature and incoming short- and long-wave radiation were skillfully simulated, with lower agreement between measured and modelled wind speed. Increased vertical resolution improved the frequency distributions of the wind speed and the temperature. The choice of different physics schemes only slightly changed the model results. The polar-optimized microphysics scheme outperformed a slightly simpler microphysics scheme, but the two alternative and more sophisticated PBL schemes improved the model score. A PBL scheme developed for very stable stratifications (QNSE) proved to be better in the winter.
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issn 1687-9309
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publishDate 2012-01-01
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series Advances in Meteorology
spelling doaj-art-cbf3444a04634ac183cdf6d2c1a8ff2e2025-08-20T02:19:57ZengWileyAdvances in Meteorology1687-93091687-93172012-01-01201210.1155/2012/321649321649Applying a Mesoscale Atmospheric Model to Svalbard GlaciersBjörn Claremar0Friedrich Obleitner1Carleen Reijmer2Veijo Pohjola3Anna Waxegård4Florian Karner5Anna Rutgersson6Department of Earth Sciences, Uppsala University, Villavägen 16, 75236 Uppsala, SwedenInstitute of Meteorology and Geophysics, Innsbruck University, 6020 Innsbruck, AustriaInstitute for Marine and Atmospheric Research, Utrecht University, 3508 TC Utrecht, The NetherlandsDepartment of Earth Sciences, Uppsala University, Villavägen 16, 75236 Uppsala, SwedenDepartment of Earth Sciences, Uppsala University, Villavägen 16, 75236 Uppsala, SwedenInstitute of Meteorology and Geophysics, Innsbruck University, 6020 Innsbruck, AustriaDepartment of Earth Sciences, Uppsala University, Villavägen 16, 75236 Uppsala, SwedenThe mesoscale atmospheric model WRF is used over three Svalbard glaciers. The simulations are done with a setup of the model corresponding to the state-of-the-art model for polar conditions, Polar WRF, and it was validated using surface observations. The ERA-Interim reanalysis was used for boundary forcing and the model was used with three nested smaller domains, 24 and 8 km, and 2.7 km resolution. The model was used for a two-year period as well as for a more detailed study using 3 summer and winter months. In addition sensitivity tests using finer horizontal and vertical resolution in the boundary layer and using different physics schemes were performed. Temperature and incoming short- and long-wave radiation were skillfully simulated, with lower agreement between measured and modelled wind speed. Increased vertical resolution improved the frequency distributions of the wind speed and the temperature. The choice of different physics schemes only slightly changed the model results. The polar-optimized microphysics scheme outperformed a slightly simpler microphysics scheme, but the two alternative and more sophisticated PBL schemes improved the model score. A PBL scheme developed for very stable stratifications (QNSE) proved to be better in the winter.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2012/321649
spellingShingle Björn Claremar
Friedrich Obleitner
Carleen Reijmer
Veijo Pohjola
Anna Waxegård
Florian Karner
Anna Rutgersson
Applying a Mesoscale Atmospheric Model to Svalbard Glaciers
Advances in Meteorology
title Applying a Mesoscale Atmospheric Model to Svalbard Glaciers
title_full Applying a Mesoscale Atmospheric Model to Svalbard Glaciers
title_fullStr Applying a Mesoscale Atmospheric Model to Svalbard Glaciers
title_full_unstemmed Applying a Mesoscale Atmospheric Model to Svalbard Glaciers
title_short Applying a Mesoscale Atmospheric Model to Svalbard Glaciers
title_sort applying a mesoscale atmospheric model to svalbard glaciers
url http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2012/321649
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