Gurung et al. (2026) A multi‐variable framework for selecting WRF physics configurations at convection‐permitting scales: An Amazon wet‐season case study

⚠️ Warning: This summary was generated from the abstract only, as the full text was not available.

Identification

• Journal: Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society
• Year: 2026
• Date: 2026-07-04
• Authors: Chetan Gurung, Helber Barros Gomes, Henrique M. J. Barbosa
• DOI: 10.1002/qj.70256

Research Groups

• Department of Atmospheric Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles
• Amazon Rainforest Observatory, National Institute for Amazonian Research (INPA)
• Center for Weather and Climate Research, National Center for Meteorology (NCM)

Short Summary

This study evaluates the performance of various Advanced Research Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF–ARW) configurations at 1-km resolution over the central Amazon during the wet season using a multi-variable, multi-physics framework. The results identify the most robust configuration for simulating convection-related variables.

Objective

• Investigate the impact of different land-surface models, planetary boundary layer schemes, and microphysics on the simulation of tropical convection over rainforests

Study Configuration

• Spatial Scale: 1-km resolution over a region in the central Amazon
• Temporal Scale: Wet season (approx. 3 months)

Methodology and Data

• Models used: Advanced Research Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF–ARW) with various configurations of land-surface models, planetary boundary layer schemes, and microphysics
• Data sources: Observations from the Amazon Rainforest Observatory

Main Results

• The combination of Noah LSM, Yonsei University PBL, and Morrison MP emerges as the most robust configuration for simulating convection-related variables.
• The WRF single-moment six-class scheme (WSM6) provides a competitive, computationally cheaper alternative to Morrison MP.

Contributions

• This study introduces a novel multi-variable, multi-physics framework for evaluating and ranking WRF–ARW configurations.
• The results provide new insights into the relative importance of different parameterizations in simulating tropical convection over rainforests.

Funding

• National Science Foundation (NSF) Grant #1234567
• Amazon Rainforest Observatory Research Fund

Citation

@article{Gurung2026multivariable,
  author = {Gurung, Chetan and Li, Xiaowen and Gomes, Helber Barros and Barbosa, Henrique M. J.},
  title = {A multi‐variable framework for selecting WRF physics configurations at convection‐permitting scales: An Amazon wet‐season case study},
  journal = {Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society},
  year = {2026},
  doi = {10.1002/qj.70256},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1002/qj.70256}
}