Regional USWRP: The Pacific Northwest Environmental Prediction System

Regional USWRP: The Pacific Northwest Environmental

Prediction System

USWRP Pacific Northwest: Major Components

• Real-time, operational mesoscale environmental prediction– MM5 atmospheric model– DHSVM distributed hydrological model– Calgrid Air Quality Model– Oregon State Surface Model

• Collection and quality control of regional observations.

• Regional field programs and research efforts to study mesoscale structures (e.g., COAST, IMPROVE)

• Regional research to improve model parameterizations (PBL effort, microphysics)

Funding and Management by the Northwest Modeling Consortium• National Weather Service • University of Washington • USDA Forest Service • Port of Seattle • United States Navy • U.S. Environmental Protection Agency • Washington State Department of Ecology • Puget Sound Clean Air Agency • Washington State Department of Natural Resources • Washington State Department of Transportation •  Seattle City Light

A Vision of an Integrated Regional Prediction System

Output from the MM5 is now being fed into a number of modeling and diagnostic systems:

• Distributed Hydrological Model for Western Washington

• Calgrid Air Quality Model• Land Surface Model for Surface Temperature

Prediction• Smoke, Ventilation, and Fire Guidance• Transportation Information System

DHSVM Distributed Hydrological Prediction System

Calgrid Air Quality Prediction System

Washington State DOT Traveler Information System

VentilationIndex

Regional Research Efforts

• IMPROVE: To improve moist physics in mesoscale models using data from the Pacific Northwest. Multi-investigator project. Data from a major field experiment

• PBL Parameterization Project: Evaluation and improvement of MM5 PBL schemes. Sponsored by the Forest Service

• COAST: Two field programs using P3 to study regional mesoscale features

Olympic Mts.

British Columbia

Washington

Ca

scad

e M

ts.

Cas

cade

Mts

.

Oregon

California

OrographicStudy Area

Washington

Oregon

Co

asta

l Mts

.

Co

asta

l Mts

.

S-Pol Radar Range

Santiam Pass

OSA ridge crest

Cas

cade

Mts

.

< 100 m

100-500 m

500-1000 m

1000-1500 m

1500-2000 m

2000-3000 m

> 3000 m

Terrain Heights

Portland

Salem

Newport

Medford

UW Convair-580

Airborne Doppler Radar

S-Pol Radar

BINET Antenna

NEXRAD Radar

Wind Profiler

Rawinsonde

Legend

Ground Observer

0 100 km

WSRP Dropsondes

Columbia R.

Rain Gauge Sites in OSA Vicinity

Santiam Pass

SNOTEL sites CO-OP rain gauge sites

50 km

Orographic Study Area

S-Pol Radar Range

Olympic Mts.

S-Pol Radar Range

Westport

90 nm(168 km)

Offshore FrontalStudy Area

Paine Field

Univ. of Washington

Area of Multi-Doppler

Coverage

Special Raingauges

PNNL RemoteSensing Site

TwoIMPROVE

observationalcampaigns:

I. Offshore Frontal Study (Wash. Coast, Jan-Feb 2001)

II. Orographic Study (Oregon Cascades, Nov-Dec 2001)

Modeling Winds in the Columbia Gorge

• Strongest winds are at the exit

Portland

Troutdale

Cascade Locks

Summary• The NW forecasting and research effort has

tested a regional approach to weather research.• Has resulted in close interactions of

researchers and the user community.• Benefits also include acquisition of non-

traditional funding as well as testing of new approaches to NWP that will be useful in other venues.

• A model for future U.S. weather research should include both national and regional efforts.