Weather Research and Forecast (WRF) model simulations over Western Canada bias-correcteed to GEM-CaPA: historical run from 2000-10 to 2015-09 and pseudo-global warming run corresponds to the era of 2071-2100 with time axis identical to the control run from 2000-10 to 2015-09

GeoNetwork record: http://gwfnet.net/geonetwork/srv/eng/catalog.search#/metadata/2d7820c8-c881-4b3d-878b-79c29d428c75

The WRF western Canada simulations (CTL-WRF-WCA and PGW-WRF-WCA) are bias-corrected to GEM-CaPA using a multivariate quantile mapping method that correct multiple climate variables of model simulation to observed/target variables through N‐dimensional probability density function (Cannon 2018, doi:10.1007/s00382-017-3580-6; MBCn R-package). The following atmospheric variables are currently available for western Canada at 0.125 degree resolution: precipitation flux, temperature, downward long wave flux, downward short wave flux, surface pressure, mixing ratio, wind speed. These data are in NetCDF format.

The description of original WRF simulations: the Weather Research and Forecasting model Version 3.6.1 ( the model source code is accessible from http://www2.mmm.ucar.edu/wrf/users/downloads.html) was used to simulate the historical (2000-2015) and projected climate (RCP8.5) over western Canada with a convection-permitting resolution of 4 km. The WRF model is fully compressible and nonhydrostatic and uses the Advanced Research WRF (ARW) dynamical solvers. The model domain is composed of 699 x 639 grid points with 4-km horizontal resolution to cover western Canada. The atmospheric simulation consists of hourly historical climate scenario (ctl-wrf-wca) from 2000-10-01 to 2015-09-30 at 4km spatial resolution. The model simulations employed several parameterization schemes, including Thompson microphysics scheme (Thompson et al., 2008), the Yonsei University (YSU) planetary boundary layer scheme, the Noah land surface model (Chen and Dudhia, 2001), and the CAM3 radiative transfer scheme (Collins et al., 2004). The deep cumulus parameterization was turned off because with a 4-km horizontal resolution the model can explicitly resolve deep convection and simulate convective storms. The convection-permitting model produces precipitation more realistically by directly resolving convections. Subgrid cloud cover was also disabled. The control experiment (CTL), a retrospective/control simulation, aimed to reproduce the current climate statistics in terms of variability and mean state from October 1, 2000 to 30 September 2015. This control simulation was forced using 6-hourly 0.7 degree ERA-Interim reanalysis data (Dee et al., 2011) directly.

To provide bias-corrected WRF simulations (CTL-WRF-WCA and PGW-WRF-WCA) for hydrological modeling. The target dataset for bias-correction is GEM-CaPA, a combination of GEM’s lower atmospheric condition and CaPA precipitation data. To assess the hydroclimatic risks posed by climate change in western Canada, a retrospective simulation (CTL-WRF-WCA) and a pseudo-global warming (PGW) dynamical downscaling of future warming projection under RCP8.5 from an ensemble of CMIP5 climate model projections using a convection-permitting 4-km WRF model. The convection-permitting resolution of the model avoids the error-prone convection parameterization by explicitly resolving cumulus plumes. The PGW-WRF-WCA dataset contains the pseudo global warming simulation of the period 2000-2015 with climate change scenario of RCP8.5 corresponding to 2071-2100. This data set will be used support atmospheric research objectives within the Global Water Futures Program funded by Canada First Research Excellence Fund.

Western Canada

Model name: WRF
Model version number: 3.6.1
Model source/webpage: https://www.mmm.ucar.edu/weather-research-and-forecasting-model
Model output pre-processing script: WPS
Model output post-processing script: MBCn R-Package
Model setup: Original WRF 4km grid spacing interpolated to ~10 km GEM-CaPA grid (0.125 degree);
Time step: 15 seconds
Initial condition: ERA-Interim + RCP8.5 climate change signals
Boundary condition: ERA-Interim + RCP8.5 climate change signals