P56 Evaluating WRF model performance in prediction of wind flows in mountainous terrain

Rohanizadegan, Mina, Richard Petrone, University of Waterloo, Canada, and John Pomeroy, University of Saskatchewan, Canada

In mountains, the role of diurnal wind (i.e. valley, slope winds) due to differential heating and radiation in controlling evaporative fluxes is not well understood. Forecasting of wind flows in complex topography of mountainous terrain requires high resolution numerical simulations. Predictions of surface wind are sensitive to initial conditions, and spatial resolution. Tests are performed using the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model in Fortress Mountain area in the Kananaskis Valley, Alberta, to investigate model performance in creating driving data for evapotranspiration calculations when compared to sounding measurements and surface station data for fair weather summer days. Simulations were performed for four nested grid spacing, and predictions are evaluated for fine resolution domain and three consecutive days (9 am - 6 pm; July 18 - 20, 2016). Improvements in resolution of horizontal grids, topographic data, land cover, and soil moisture improves predictions of surface wind and fluxes.