Simulation of tropical cyclone Juan over the Sierra Madre region using a mesoscale model: A comparative study of different parameterization schemes

Abstract

Forests play an important role in maintaining ecological balance in a region; however, for decades, an alarming rate of deforestation is evident in the Philippines, which questions the overall impact of deforestation on the biosphere especially during heavy rainfall. Prior to the investigation of the effects of deforestation, sensitivity runs should be made to tune the model representing the rainfall event. In this study, we will use the different physics options in the Weather Research and Forecasting model (WRF) to simulate the heavy rainfall associated with the tropical cyclone Juan (Megi), which affected the Sierra Madre region in October 2010. Results show that specific physics options need to be used to best capture the rainfall episode. This
model configuration can then be applied with changes to the forest cover to examine the impact of deforestation on heavy rainfall.