Impact of Cumulus Options from Weather Research and Forecasting with Chemistry in Atmospheric Modeling in the Andean Region of Southern Ecuador

Cumulus parameterization schemes model the subgrid-scale effects of moist convection, affecting the prognosis of cloud formation, rainfall, energy levels reaching the surface, and air quality. Working with a spatial resolution of 1 km, we studied the influence of cumulus parameterization schemes coded in the Weather Research and Forecasting with Chemistry Version 3.2 (WRF-Chem 3.2) for modeling in an Andean city in Southern Ecuador (Cuenca, 2500 masl), during September 2014. To assess performance, we used meteorological records from the urban area and stations located mainly over the Cordillera, with heights above 3000 masl, and air quality records from the urban area. Firstly, we did not use any cumulus parameterization (0 No Cumulus). Then, we considered four schemes: 1 Kain–Fritsch, 2 Betts–Miller–Janjic, 3 Grell–Devenyi, and 4 Grell-3 Ensemble. On average, the 0 No Cumulus option was better for modeling meteorological variables over the urban area, capturing 66.5% of records and being the best for precipitation (77.8%). However, 1 Kain–Fritsch was better for temperature (78.7%), and 3 Grell–Devenyi was better for wind speed (77.0%) and wind direction (37.9%). All the options provided acceptable and comparable performances for modeling short-term and long-term air quality variables. The results suggested that using no cumulus scheme could be beneficial for holistically modeling meteorological and air quality variables in the urban area. However, all the options, including deactivating the cumulus scheme, overestimated the total amount of precipitation over the Cordillera, implying that its modeling needs to be improved, particularly for studies on water supply and hydrological management. All the options also overestimated the solar radiation levels at the surface. New WRF-Chem versions and microphysics parameterization, the other component directly related to cloud and rainfall processes, must be assessed. In the future, a more refined inner domain, or an inner domain that combines a higher resolution (less than 1 km) over the Cordillera, with 1 km cells over the urban area, can be assessed.