WRF Model UpdateThe WRF model tar file has been updated to Version 3.8.1 on August 12, 2016. For known problems in V3.8.1, please click here. The WRF Pre-Processing System (WPS) has been updated toVersion 3.8.1. If you are interested in seeing how V3.8 has been tested, click here. Improvements and Bug fixes:
Physics:
Atmospheric Radiation:
- RRTMG longwave option (ra_lw_physics = 4,24): Redefine top of atmosphere to be at 0 mb for ACLW* diagnostics.
- Goddard radiation (ra_sw_physics=5): Reduces clear-sky high bias in surface shortwave flux by using an improved water vapor table (Thanks to Xiaohui Zhong of UCSD).
- icloud=3: further update to improve the scheme (Thanks to Greg Thompson of NCAR)
Microphysics:
- Thompson (mp_physics = 8,28) (Thanks to Greg Thompson of NCAR)
(a) Change in RSLF and RSIF function for super low pressure (5-10mb) at high altitude to prevent negative sat. vapor pressure (thanks to Laura Fowler at NCAR).
(b) A series of changes related to rain number concentration to get better rain mean size as compared to radar (Zdr) and disdrometer data in convective and tropical cyclone studies (thanks to Bonnie Brown of U of Hawaii)
(c) Improvement to diagnostic graupel Y-intercept parameter to avoid large graupel in typical wintertime ice pellet conditions (thanks to Glen Romine of NCAR).
(d) A set of changes to ice initiation, particularly removal of Phillips parameterization and return to DeMott (2010) dust scheme tryi ng to improve near-tropopause ice clouds for RAP/HRRR (thanks to Jared Lee of NCAR).
(e) Fix uninitialized snow arrays (thanks to Tanya Smirnova of NOAA).
- WSM, WDM schemes: (mp_physics = 3,4,6,14,16): Make snow ratio calculation (SR) more exact.
- HUJI SBM schemes (mp_physics = 30, 32): Add time-step rainnc from these schemes for use in land models. Fix occasional blowup in full SBM (thanks to Jin-Fang Yin)
- Morrison scheme (mp_physics = 10): Gas constant changed from 8.3187 to 8.3145 (but not used) (Thanks to Hugh Morrison)
Cumulus:
- Zhang-McFarlane schems (cu_physics=7): Fix a bug in calculation of time-step rainc passed to land model from Zhang-McFarlane if cudt isn't set to 0. (Thanks to Bill Gustafson of PNNL)
- New Tiedtke (cu_physics=16): (Thanks to Chunxi Zhang of U of Hawaii).
(a) Added an option isequil to control the closure. The default option removes all CAPE during a convective adjustment time. The alternative is a quasi-equilibrium option that dependent on boundary layer forcing; (An updated version that uses the quiasi-equilibrium assumption can be downloaded here)
(b) The entrainment rate for the testing parcel for shallow convection is increased, which may slightly reduce shallow convective grid points;
(c) The estimate for the model levels for the lowest 60hPa and 350hPa is replaced by an accurate method;
(d) The occasional negative humidities at the downdraft top and cloud top are improved.
Planetary boundary layer:
- MYNN PBL scheme (bl_pbl_physics = 5,6): (Thanks to Joe Olson of NOAA).
(a) Bug fix with icloud_bl = 1 (default): not to add subgrid clouds to grid boxes that have already resolved clouds;
(b) mass-flux scheme from TEMF is more stable now;
(c) reduce the mass-flux in JPL's scheme;
(d) fix an array out-of-bound error (Thanks to Brian Reen of ARL)
Land Surface physics:
- NoahMP (sf_surface_physics=4): (Thanks to Mike Barlage of RAL/NCAR)
(a) Default run_off option is changed from 1 (SIMGM) to 3 (Schaake96) to avoid accumulation errors in long simulations. It will change model results.
(b) Crop model can be activated now with an updated MPTABLE.TBL.
(c) Prevent over flow in calculation of wood carbon pool fraction (only affects when dynamic vegetation on)
(d) Prevent divide by zero when soil moisture goes to zero (affects all options)
(e) Prevent divide by zero (and negative values) in exchange coefficient calculation (only affects opt_sfc = 2, not default)
(f) Fix incorrect assumption on units of CH (only affects when coupled with MYJ-like WRF sfcdif options)
- RUC LSM (sf_surface_physics=3): (Thanks to Tanya Smirnova of NOAA)
(a) Min/max for snow density are changed to 76.9 and 500 everywhere for consistency.
(b) Use of logical parameter myj=.false. or .true. in flux diagnostics to make QFX and LH consistent with each other for surface layer schemes other than MYJ.
(c) Bug fix in sub-surface runoff.
(d) Reduced water interception by the canopy.
Dynamics:
- Diffusion option (diff_opt = 2): allow diffusion to conserve scalars (at least over flat terrain). (Thanks to Stefen Tulich of NOAA)
Initialization/Others:
- DFI: fixes a problem with using MYNN PBL. Added surface pressure calculation during DFI.
- Add max map-scale factor print in standard model output
Software:
- Improves compile time on Fujitsu
- fixes an compiler error on Fujitsh (Thanks to C.G. Li of Fujitsu).
- fixes a real*8 compilation error for RRTMG.