Evaluation of WRF cloud microphysics schemes using radar observations

The Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) implemented a 10-yr project to develop its own global model (GM) by 2020. To refiect the complex topography and unique weather characteristics of the Korean Peninsula, a high-resolutionmodel with accurate physics and input data is required. TheWRF single-moment 6-class microphysics scheme (WSM6) and WRF double-moment 6-class microphysics scheme (WDM6) that will be implemented in the Korea GM (KGM) are evaluated. Comparisons of the contoured frequency by altitude diagram (CFAD), time-height cross sections, and vertical profiles of hydrometeors are utilized to assess the two schemes in simulating summer monsoon and convective precipitation cases over the Korean Peninsula during 2011. The results show thatWSM6 andWDM6 overestimate the height of the melting level and bright band as compared to radar observations. However, the accuracy ofWDM6 is in better agreement with radar observations. This is attributed to the difference in the sedimentation process simulated by the additional second-moment total number concentrations of liquid-phase particles in WDM6. WDM6 creates larger raindrops and higher relative humidity beneath the melting layer, allowing the scheme to simulate a more realistic refiectivity profile thanWSM6 for the summermonsoon case.However, for the convective case, both schemes underestimate the precipitation and there is resolution dependence in theWRFModel's ability to simulate convective precipitation.