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WRF ocean physics

met-sree

Member
Dear all,
I have a couple of questions regarding the ocean physics option in WRF (sf_ocean_physics = 1 i.e. 1-D slab ocean):
  1. If I plan to run a 15-day simulation, should I set SST_UPDATE = 1 along with the above ocean option? In that case, will WRF use SST from the real-time SST dataset (SST_UPDATE = 1) or from the 1-D slab ocean model during model integration?
  2. I have a mixed-layer depth (MLD) dataset in a 2-D NetCDF file. Is it possible to use this instead of a constant or climatological MLD? If yes, could you please guide me on how to proceed?

Thank you,
Sree
 
Hi Sree,

Not having experience with the ocean model, and the fact that it's an option that was provided by an outside (or NSF NCAR) group, I'll try to provide the best answers I can.

If I plan to run a 15-day simulation, should I set SST_UPDATE = 1 along with the above ocean option? In that case, will WRF use SST from the real-time SST dataset (SST_UPDATE = 1) or from the 1-D slab ocean model during model integration?
Yes, you should turn on sst_update any time you run a simulation longer than about 4 days. I believe the model will read-in the sst data from the set you introduce, as opposed to data from the ocean model. You can test this to be certain.

I have a mixed-layer depth (MLD) dataset in a 2-D NetCDF file. Is it possible to use this instead of a constant or climatological MLD? If yes, could you please guide me on how to proceed?
Since the MLD is coded into the ocean model code (found in wrf/phys/module_sf_oml.F), I'm not certain of the best way to go about doing this. However, I did find this study, which uses an outside data source for MLD for one of the four experiments they mention. If they don't mention the specific steps in the literature, I would advise trying to reach out to the authors to ask for specifics and then use their method as a template for doing the same.
 
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