The impact of vertical resolution on the simulation of Typhoon Lekima (2019) by a cloud-permitting model

doi:10.1007/s11707-021-0923-8

Front. Earth Sci.

2022, Vol. 16

Issue (1) : 158-174 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11707-021-0923-8

RESEARCH ARTICLE

The impact of vertical resolution on the simulation of Typhoon Lekima (2019) by a cloud-permitting model

Mengjuan LIU^1,²(

), Lin DENG^1,², Wei HUANG^1,², Wanchen WU^1,²

¹. Shanghai Typhoon Institute, China Meteorological Administration, Shanghai 200030, China
². Key Laboratory of Numerical Modeling for Tropical Cyclone of China Meteorological Administration, Shanghai 200030, China

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Abstract

The impact of vertical resolution on the simulation of Typhoon Lekima (2019) is investigated using the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model version 3.8.1. Results show that decreasing vertical grid spacing from approximately 1000 m to 100 m above 1 km height barely influences the simulated track. However, significant differences are found in the simulated tropical cyclone (TC) structure. The simulation with the coarsest vertical resolution shows a clear double warm-core structure. The upper warm core weakens and even disappears with the increase of vertical resolution. A broader eye and a more slantwise eyewall are observed with the increase of vertical resolution due to the vertically extended lower-level and upper-level outflow, which likely results in a weaker subsidence. Vertical grid convergence is evaluated with the simulated kinetic energy (KE) spectra. As the vertical grid spacing becomes finer than 200 m, convergent KE spectra are found in both the free atmosphere and the outer core of the TC. However, sensitivity tests reveal that the grid convergence is sensitive to the choice of the planetary boundary layer scheme.

Keywords vertical resolution tropical cyclone warm core kinetic energy spectra

Corresponding Author(s): Mengjuan LIU

Online First Date: 17 August 2021 Issue Date: 04 March 2022

Cite this article:

Mengjuan LIU,Lin DENG,Wei HUANG, et al. The impact of vertical resolution on the simulation of Typhoon Lekima (2019) by a cloud-permitting model[J]. Front. Earth Sci., 2022, 16(1): 158-174.

URL:

https://academic.hep.com.cn/fesci/EN/10.1007/s11707-021-0923-8
https://academic.hep.com.cn/fesci/EN/Y2022/V16/I1/158

Fig.1 Vertical distribution of model levels for all experiments.

Fig.2 (a) Tracks, (b) minimum sea level pressure, (c) maximum azimuthally averaged tangential wind at 10 m, and (d) 200–850 hPa shear of horizontal wind (m·s⁻¹) for V40, V70, V161, and V311. Black lines in (a) and (b) indicate the best track data provided by CMA.

Fig.3 Snapshots of the instantaneous streamlines and horizontal distribution of the relative humidity (color shading) at 36 h and 16 km height for (a) V40, (b) V70, (c) V161, and (d) V311. The front-like and trough-like patterns are denoted by red and blue lines, respectively.

Fig.4 Time-height Hovmöller diagrams of the perturbation temperature in the eye region (r = 0–30 km) for (a) V40, (b) V70, (c) V161, (d) V311, (e) V46L, and (f) V113U. Data are plotted every 3 h.

Fig.5 Radial-height cross sections of the azimuthally averaged equivalent potential temperature on the left panel, and radial wind (color shading) and upward motion (contours) on the right panel at 60 h of the simulation. Contours only include vertical velocity greater than 0.5 m·s⁻¹.

Fig.6 Left panel (a, c, e, g): radial-height cross sections of the azimuthally averaged radial wind (color shading) and upward motion (contours, vertical velocity greater than 0.5 m·s⁻¹); right panel (b, d, f, h): diabatic heating rates (color shading) and tangential winds (contours) at 36 h for all experiments.

Fig.7 Outgoing longwave radiation at the top of the atmosphere at 36 h for (a) V40, (b) V70, (c) V161, and (d) V311.

Fig.8 Compensated horizontal KE (KE × k^5/3) spectra at z = 5 km, 16 km, and 24 km. For clarity, the z = 16 km and z = 24 km spectra are shifted two and four decades up, respectively.

Fig.9 Azimuthal KE spectra at z = 5 and 16 km for V40, V70, V161, and V311. For clarity, the z = 16 km spectra are shifted six decades up.

Fig.10 Compensated horizontal KE (KE × k^5/3) spectra at z = 16 km for V40_MYJ, V70_MYJ, V161_MYJ, and V311_MYJ.

Fig.11 Azimuthal KE spectra at z = 16 km for V40_MYJ, V70_MYJ, V161_MYJ, and V311_MYJ.

Study	Case	Model	Model domain and grid spacing
Study	Case	Model	$Δ x$ /km	P_top/hPa	nz
ZW03	Hurricane Andrew (1992)	MM5	54, 18, 6	50	23, 32, 35, 46, 69
KD06	idealized	MM5	15, 5	100	24, 35
M12	Typhoon Talim (2005)	WRF 3.2	30, 10	50	34, 36, 53, 61
Z15	idealized	HWRF	27, 9, 3	50	21, 32, 43, 64
This study	Typhoon Lekima (2019)	WRF 3.8.1	3	10	40, 70, 161, 311

Tab.1 Summary of key model parameters

Fig.12 (a) Minimum sea level pressure and (b) maximum azimuthally averaged tangential wind at 10 m height for V46L and V113U in comparison with V40 and V161.

Fig.13 As in Fig. 5 but for V113U.

Fig.14 Time series of the average relative humidity (%) in the outer region of the TC at 9 km for V40, V113U and V161. The values are averaged within the annulus of 150–300 km from the TC center.

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