Performance Evaluation of the High-Resolution WRF Meteorological Simulation over the Seoul Metropolitan Area

Faithful evaluation of the meteorological input is a prerequisite for a better understanding of air quality model performance. Despite the importance, the preliminary meteorological assessment has rarely been concerned. In this study, we aim to evaluate the performance of the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model conducting a year-long high-resolution meteorological simulation in 2016 over the Seoul metropolitan area. The WRF model was configured based on a series of sensitivity simulations of initial/boundary meteorological conditions, land use mapping data, reanalysis grid nudging method, domain nesting method, and urban canopy model. The simulated results of winds, air temperature, and specific humidity in the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) were evaluated following statistical evaluation guidance using the surface and upper meteorological measurements. The statistical evaluation results are presented. The model performance was interpreted acceptable for air quality modeling within the statistical criteria of complex conditions, showing consistent overestimation in wind speeds. Further statistical analysis showed that the meteorological model biases were highly systematic with systematic bias fractions (f(SB)) of 20 similar to 50%. This study suggests that both the momentum exchange process of the surface layer and the ABL entrainment process should be investigated for further improvement of the model performance.