WELCOME to the UAF Experimental Near-Real-Time Mesoscale Model Verification and Forecast System Page

Welcome to the Model Domains and Configuration Page!

On this page are displayed the current AFWA 45 km (T1A) and 15 km (T1B) grids for Alaska forecasts. The local MM5 run grids are slightly smaller (3 grid lengths) than the AFWA grids to allow for appropriate consideration of boundary conditions, given that the AFWA runs serve as first guess fields to the local MM5 simulations. Also displayed is a figure illustrating the 41 vertical computational levels used in both sets of simulations.

Current AFWA model configuration is as follows:

97 x 115 horizontal computational gridpoints for both domains
72 hr forecast for T1A grid, 24 hr forecast for T1B grid
LAPS/AVN analyses for initial and boundary conditions
Dudhia long and short wave [two stream] radiation schemes
Grell convective parameterization
Reisner mixed phase microphysical scheme w/o explicit number concentration prediction
Multi layer thermal diffusion soil model

Our local run configurations currently differ slightly not only in horizontal grid structure as noted above, but also in the following ways ( check back, this may change from time to time):

24 hr forecast only on 45 km domain

AFWA MM5 runs used as first guess initial/boundary conditions

OSU/NCAR Land Surface Model

1-day lagged updated vegetation and sea ice information

AFWA 45 km (T1A) grid

15 km (T1B) grid

41 vertical computational levels