Sensitivity Study of a Simulated Winter Storm to WRF Model Physics over Complex Terrain

Several studies have examined the sensitivity of fronts and cyclones to model physics over the ocean or flat terrain in mesoscale models (e.g., Zhang et al. 1999). Nonetheless, fewer studies have examined the sensitivity of fronts and cyclones over complex terrain to model physics in the WRF model at very high resolution. Physics parameterizations in the WRF model, including multiple choices of land surface model (LSM), planetary boundary layer (PBL), radiation, and microphysics schemes were formulated and mainly tested for idealized scenarios and/or over flat terrain. Thus, it is important to evaluate the performance of these schemes and their combined performance for complex terrain.