Hofmeister et al. (2026) Technical note: A physically based correction of WRF temperature using atmospheric lapse rates for high-resolution hydrological simulations in a glacierized catchment

Identification

• Journal: Hydrology and earth system sciences
• Year: 2026
• Date: 2026-10-13
• Authors: Florentin Hofmeister, Xinyang Fan, Madlene Pfeiffer, Ben Marzeion, Bettina Schaefli, Gabriele Chiogna
• DOI: 10.5194/hess-30-6265-2026

Research Groups

• Bavarian Academy of Science and Humanities, Geodesy and Glaciology, Munich, Germany
• Chair of Hydrology and River Basin Management, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany
• Institute of Geography and Oeschger Centre for Climate Change Research, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
• Department of Geography and Geosciences, GeoZentrum Nordbayern, Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nuremberg, Erlangen, Germany
• Institute of Geography, University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany
• MARUM – Center for Marine Environmental Sciences, University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany

Short Summary

This technical note presents a physically based post-processing workflow for correcting coarse-resolution regional climate model output used to force high-resolution hydrological models in high-elevation, glacierized catchments. The proposed approach aims to reduce biases arising from the coarse representation of snow- and ice-covered surfaces and associated land-atmosphere interactions.

Objective

• Develop and evaluate a physically based post-processing workflow for reducing biases in coarse-resolution regional climate model output used to force high-resolution hydrological models in high-elevation, glacierized catchments.
• Focus primarily on near-surface air temperature, as snow and glacier processes are highly sensitive to its spatiotemporal variability.

Study Configuration

• Spatial Scale: High-resolution (2 km) hydrological simulations in a glacierized catchment (upper Kauner Valley, Austria).
• Temporal Scale: Hourly temporal resolution for the period 1969–2015.

Methodology and Data

• Models used: Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model, WaSiM hydrological model.
• Data sources: Global Twentieth Century Reanalysis version 3 (20CRv3), MODIS snow cover maps, hydrometeorological observation data from various stations.

Main Results

• Corrected hourly temperatures showed substantially improved agreement with observations.
• Simulations driven by uncorrected WRF data failed to adequately reproduce observed cryospheric and hydrological dynamics.
• The temperature correction significantly improved the simulation of snow accumulation and melt, glacier mass balance, snow cover dynamics, and streamflow.

Contributions

• This study provides a novel physically based post-processing workflow for correcting coarse-resolution regional climate model output used to force high-resolution hydrological models in high-elevation, glacierized catchments.
• The proposed approach aims to reduce biases arising from the coarse representation of snow- and ice-covered surfaces and associated land-atmosphere interactions.

Funding

• This research was funded by the Bavarian Academy of Science and Humanities.

Citation

@article{Hofmeister2026Technical,
  author = {Hofmeister, Florentin and Fan, Xinyang and Pfeiffer, Madlene and Marzeion, Ben and Schaefli, Bettina and Chiogna, Gabriele},
  title = {Technical note: A physically based correction of WRF temperature using atmospheric lapse rates for high-resolution hydrological simulations in a glacierized catchment},
  journal = {Hydrology and earth system sciences},
  year = {2026},
  doi = {10.5194/hess-30-6265-2026},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-30-6265-2026}
}