Performance of the WRF Model for Surface Wind Prediction around Qatar

Abstract

AbstractThe performance of the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) Model is examined for the region around Qatar in the context of surface winds. The wind fields around this peninsula can be complicated owing to its small size, to a complex pattern of land and sea breezes influenced by the prevailing shamal winds, and to its dry and arid nature. Modeled winds are verified with data from 19 land stations and two offshore buoys. A comparison with these data shows that nonlocal planetary boundary layer (PBL) schemes generally perform better than local schemes over land stations during the daytime, when convective conditions prevail; at nighttime, over land and over water, both schemes yield similar results. Among other parameters, modifications to standard USGS land-use descriptors were necessary to reduce model errors. The RMSE values are comparable to those reported elsewhere. Simulated winds, when used with a wave model, result in wave heights comparable to buoy measurements. Furthermore, WRF results, confirmed by data, show that at times sea breezes develop from both coasts, leading to convergence in the middle of the country; at other times, the large-scale wind impedes the formation of sea breezes on one or both coasts. Simulations also indicate greater land/sea-breeze activity in the summer than in the winter. Differences in the diurnal evolution of surface winds over land and water are found to be related to differences in the boundary layer stability. Overall, the results indicate that the WRF Model as configured here yields reliable simulations and can be used for various practical applications.