Evaluation of PBL parameterization schemes against direct observations during a land depression over Central India

Abstract

Detailed observations from the Cloud Aerosol Interaction and Precipitation Enhancement Experiment (CAIPEEX) Phase III integrated observational campaign 2014 are used to validate six different planetary boundary layer (PBL) schemes in Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model during a land depression over central India in summer monsoon season. This work is a continuation of our previous study on a dry event associated with a heatwave over the same region (Sathyanadh et al. 2017). Four local and two nonlocal PBL schemes are evaluated with hourly observations of air temperature, eddy covariance fluxes, friction velocity, wind, and radiation components for the model performance of the complete energy budget and weather parameters. The models simulated a slightly warmer and drier surface layer with strong winds and overestimated sensible heat flux and ground heat flux during the wet event. The errors in the surface layer temperature are closely associated with errors in the sensible heat flux and incoming radiation, while the errors associated with moisture are linked to the excessive surface layer mixing. The interrelationships between various surface layer parameters and PBL heights are investigated to identify the key controlling factors of PBL evolution in the context of land depression.