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Bathymetry (lake data) origin (RESOLVED)

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cacruzl

New member
Dear support,

For one of our simulations we are using lake data specified in GEOGRID.TBL as follows:

name = LAKE_DEPTH
priority=1
dest_type = continuous
fill_missing = 10.
masked=land
interp_option = default:average_gcell(1.0)+search(5)
rel_path = default:lake_depth/
flag_in_output=FLAG_LAKE_DEPTH

So, there is a set of bathymetry files released with WPS, independent of the topography. However,
the WPS data download page (https://www2.mmm.ucar.edu/wrf/users/download/get_sources_wps_geog.html#specific) does not specify the origin of the bathymetry data.

Can you please tell me where this bathymetry is derived from?

Thank you,

Carlos
 
Although I don't actually know where the lake depth dataset originates, this comment at the top of WRF's module_sf_lake.F may be helpful:
! The lake scheme was retrieved from the Community Land Model version 4.5
! (Oleson et al. 2013) with some modifications by Gu et al. (2013). It is a
! one-dimensional mass and energy balance scheme with 20-25 model layers,
! including up to 5 snow layers on the lake ice, 10 water layers, and 10 soil
! layers on the lake bottom. The lake scheme is used with actual lake points and
! lake depth derived from the WPS, and it also can be used with user defined
! lake points and lake depth in WRF (lake_min_elev and lakedepth_default).
! The lake scheme is independent of a land surface scheme and therefore
! can be used with any land surface scheme embedded in WRF. The lake scheme
! developments and evaluations were included in Subin et al. (2012) and Gu et al. (2013)
!
! Subin et al. 2012: Improved lake model for climate simulations, J. Adv. Model.
! Earth Syst., 4, M02001. DOI:10.1029/2011MS000072;
! Gu et al. 2013: Calibration and validation of lake surface temperature simulations
! with the coupled WRF-Lake model. Climatic Change, 1-13, 10.1007/s10584-013-0978-y.
A quick scan of the first reference suggests that the lake depth dataset may be the one described by Kourzeneva et al. Unfortunately, though, I don't have any definitive knowledge as to where the LAKE_DEPTH dataset used by the WPS comes from.
 
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