regional uswrp: the pacific northwest environmental prediction system
TRANSCRIPT
Regional USWRP: The Pacific Northwest Environmental
Prediction System
USWRP Pacific Northwest: Major Components
• Real-time, operational mesoscale environmental prediction– MM5 atmospheric model– DHSVM distributed hydrological model– Calgrid Air Quality Model– Oregon State Surface Model
• Collection and quality control of regional observations.
• Regional field programs and research efforts to study mesoscale structures (e.g., COAST, IMPROVE)
• Regional research to improve model parameterizations (PBL effort, microphysics)
Funding and Management by the Northwest Modeling Consortium• National Weather Service • University of Washington • USDA Forest Service • Port of Seattle • United States Navy • U.S. Environmental Protection Agency • Washington State Department of Ecology • Puget Sound Clean Air Agency • Washington State Department of Natural Resources • Washington State Department of Transportation • Seattle City Light
A Vision of an Integrated Regional Prediction System
Output from the MM5 is now being fed into a number of modeling and diagnostic systems:
• Distributed Hydrological Model for Western Washington
• Calgrid Air Quality Model• Land Surface Model for Surface Temperature
Prediction• Smoke, Ventilation, and Fire Guidance• Transportation Information System
DHSVM Distributed Hydrological Prediction System
Calgrid Air Quality Prediction System
Washington State DOT Traveler Information System
VentilationIndex
Regional Research Efforts
• IMPROVE: To improve moist physics in mesoscale models using data from the Pacific Northwest. Multi-investigator project. Data from a major field experiment
• PBL Parameterization Project: Evaluation and improvement of MM5 PBL schemes. Sponsored by the Forest Service
• COAST: Two field programs using P3 to study regional mesoscale features
Olympic Mts.
British Columbia
Washington
Ca
scad
e M
ts.
Cas
cade
Mts
.
Oregon
California
OrographicStudy Area
Washington
Oregon
Co
asta
l Mts
.
Co
asta
l Mts
.
S-Pol Radar Range
Santiam Pass
OSA ridge crest
Cas
cade
Mts
.
< 100 m
100-500 m
500-1000 m
1000-1500 m
1500-2000 m
2000-3000 m
> 3000 m
Terrain Heights
Portland
Salem
Newport
Medford
UW Convair-580
Airborne Doppler Radar
S-Pol Radar
BINET Antenna
NEXRAD Radar
Wind Profiler
Rawinsonde
Legend
Ground Observer
0 100 km
WSRP Dropsondes
Columbia R.
Rain Gauge Sites in OSA Vicinity
Santiam Pass
SNOTEL sites CO-OP rain gauge sites
50 km
Orographic Study Area
S-Pol Radar Range
Olympic Mts.
S-Pol Radar Range
Westport
90 nm(168 km)
Offshore FrontalStudy Area
Paine Field
Univ. of Washington
Area of Multi-Doppler
Coverage
Special Raingauges
PNNL RemoteSensing Site
TwoIMPROVE
observationalcampaigns:
I. Offshore Frontal Study (Wash. Coast, Jan-Feb 2001)
II. Orographic Study (Oregon Cascades, Nov-Dec 2001)
Modeling Winds in the Columbia Gorge
• Strongest winds are at the exit
Portland
Troutdale
Cascade Locks
Summary• The NW forecasting and research effort has
tested a regional approach to weather research.• Has resulted in close interactions of
researchers and the user community.• Benefits also include acquisition of non-
traditional funding as well as testing of new approaches to NWP that will be useful in other venues.
• A model for future U.S. weather research should include both national and regional efforts.