Documents & Publications

A Description of the Advanced Research WRF Version 3 (June 2008) (updated 1/10/12)

- Descriptions of ARW model equations, discretization, initialization, and nesting
- Generalization for global applications, new upper boundary conditions and digital filter initialization in V3
- General description of physics options available in the model
- Analysis and observation nudging
- General description of the WRF-Var

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If you have a hardcopy of this document, you should download this correction page in pdf (updated 1/10/12).

A Description of the Advanced Research WRF Version 2 (updated 12/13/07)

- Descriptions of ARW model equations, discretization, initialization, and nesting
- General description of physics options available in the model
- General description of the WRF-Var

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Click here to download or view the copy in pdf with black text only (better for black/white printing)

Corrections:

If you have a hardcopy of this document, you should download this correction page in pdf (updated 12/13/07).

WRF (ARW) User's Guide (V3.4) : (updated April 6, 2012)

- Basic instructions for getting started on using ARW
- Initial attempt to put together a comprehensive user document
- Subject to continuous updates

This document will typically be updated twice a year (January and July).

User's Guide for V3.3

User's Guide for V3.2

User's Guide for V3.1

User's Guide for V3.0

User's Guide for V2.2

WRF Tutorial Presentations:

WRF Tutorials are typically held twice a year (January and July). The latest tutorial presentations are posted online soon after each tutorial.

Physics:

Physics Document: Describes physics options available in WRF 1.3, and physics interface. Most content is still valid, but some new options have not been added, and older ones not removed.

Noah LSM and urban canopy model.

YSU PBL scheme: paper by Hong, Noh and Dudhia (2006).

WSM3 and 4 (3- and 4-class microphysics schemes): paper by Hong, Dudhia and Chen (2004).

WSM6 (6-class microphysics scheme): paper by Hong and Lim (2006).

RRTMG atmospheric radiation scheme (since V3.1): paper by Iacono et al. (2008).

RIP4:

Documentation for program RIP4, a versatile graphics program that can plot model prognostic as well as many diagnostic fields.

Software:

Model code document: up to date with V2.0 code

Model code browser: up to date with V2.1 code release

WRF I/O API: up to date

Description of WRF Lateral Boundary Condition I/O: current

WRF Software Architecture Docuemnt: though out of date with V2.0, but contains useful information, e.g. section 5 has a description of WRF registry.

WRF Software Architecture publications

References:

Coen, J. , M. Cameron, J. Michalakes, E. Patton, P. Riggan, and K. Yedinak, 2013: WRF-Fire: Coupled Weather-Wildland Fire Modeling with the Weather Research and Forecasting Model. J. Appl. Meteor. Climatol., 52, 16-38 (pdf file).

Klemp, J. B., W. C. Skamarock, and J. Dudhia, 2007: Conservative split-explicit time integration methods for the compressible nonhydrostatic equations. Mon. Wea. Rev., 135, 2897-2913 (pdf file).

Knievel, J. C., G. H. Bryan, and J. P. Hacker, 2007: Explicit numerical diffusion in the WRF Model. Mon. Wea. Rev., 135, 3808-3824 (pdf file).

Michalakes, J., J. Dudhia, D. Gill, T. Henderson, J. Klemp, W. Skamarock, and W. Wang: The Weather Research and Forecast Model: Software Architecture and Performance. Proceedings of the Eleventh ECMWF Workshop on the Use of High Performance Computing in Meteorology. Eds. Walter Zwieflhofer and George Mozdzynski. World Scientific, 2005, pp 156 - 168 (pdf file).

Michalakes, J., S. Chen, J. Dudhia, L. Hart, J. Klemp, J. Middlecoff, and W. Skamarock: Development of a Next Generation Regional Weather Research and Forecast Model. Developments in Teracomputing: Proceedings of the Ninth ECMWF Workshop on the Use of High Performance Computing in Meteorology. Eds. Walter Zwieflhofer and Norbert Kreitz. World Scientific, 2001, pp. 269-276.

Moeng, C., Dudhia, J., Klemp, J., Sullivan, P., 2007: Examining the two-way grid nesting for large-eddy simulation of the PBL using the WRF model. Mon. Wea. Rev., 135, 2295-2311.

Skamarock, W. C., 2004: Evaluating Mesoscale NWP Models Using Kinetic Energy Spectra. Mon. Wea., Rev., 132, 3019-3032 (pdf file).

Skamarock, W. C., J. B. Klemp, J. Dudhia, D. O. Gill, D. M. Barker, W. Wang, and J. G. Powers, 2005: A description of the Advanced Research WRF Version 2. NCAR Tech Notes-468+STR (pdf file).

Skamarock, W. C., 2006: Positive-Definite and Montonic Limiters for Unrestricted-Timestep Transport Schemes. Mon. Wea. Rev., 134, 2241-2250 (pdf file).

Skamarock, W. C., and J. B. Klemp, 2007: A time-split nonhydrostatic atmospheric model for research and NWP applications. J. Comp. Phys., special issue on environmental modeling. 3465-3485 (pdf file).

Skamarock, W. C., and M. L. Weisman, 2009: The Impact of Positive-Definite Moisture Transport on NWP Precipitation Forecasts. Mon. Wea. Rev., 137, 488 - 494 (pdf file).

Wicker, L. J., and W. C. Skamarock, 2002: Time splitting methods for elastic models using forward time schemes (pdf file). Mon. Wea. Rev., 130, 2088-2097.

Wee, T.-K., Kuo, Y.-H., Lee, D.-K., Liu, Z., Wang, W. and Chen, S.-Y., 2012: Two overlooked biases of the Advanced Research WRF (ARW) Model in geopotential height and temperature. Mon. Wea. Rev., 140, 3907-3918, 10.1175/MWR-D-12-00045.1. (access)