Lateral boundary conditions in regional climate models:: A detailed study of the relaxation procedure

In gridpoint regional climate models (RCMs), the lateral boundary conditions are usually provided by a procedure called relaxation. The technique was originally studied in the context of numerical weather forecasting. This paper complements the preceding theoretical studies in order to assess the practical choices of model relaxation coefficients. Several profiles of coefficients used in RCMs are then evaluated. The complexity of actual model numerics makes any definite choice of the coefficients out of reach of simple theoretical considerations, but these provide practical guidelines. The latter are confirmed by pragmatic considerations such as minimizing discontinuities and keeping relaxation rates in the range of the represented physical processes. The last part of the paper presents a sensitivity study with the Modele Atmospherique Regional (MAR).