How reliable is the offline linkage of Weather Research & Forecasting Model (WRF) and Variable Infiltration Capacity (VIC) model?

Abstract

The aim for this research is to evaluate the ability of the offline linkage of Weather Research & Forecasting Model (WRF) and Variable Infiltration Capacity (VIC) model to produce hydrological, e.g. evaporation (ET), soil moisture (SM), runoff, and baseflow. First, the VIC model was run by using observed meteorological data and calibrated in the Upper Mississippi River Basin (UMRB) from 1980 to 2010. Subsequently, a simulation based on an offline linkage of WRF and VIC was performed in the UMRB with the calibrated parameters established above from 2006 to 2009. Standard measured meteorological inputs to VIC were replaced by WRF meteorological variables. A spatiotemporal comparison of offline simulated ET, SM, runoff, and baseflow produced by the VIC calibrated run (base data) and by the offline linkage run was conducted. The results showed that the offline linkage of VIC with WRF was able to achieve good agreement in the simulation of monthly and daily soil moisture, and monthly evaporation. This suggests the VIC linkage should function without causing a large change in the moisture budget. However, the offline linkage showed most disagreement in daily and monthly runoff, and baseflow which is related to errors in WRF precipitation.