Set Up and Run WRF

Wei Wang
NCAR/ESSL/MMM

Mesoscale & Microscale Meteorological Division / NCAR 1

 WRF System Flowchart

WRFV3

WPS ideal.exe wrf.exe

rf e e
real.exe

Mesoscale & Microscale Meteorological Division / NCAR 2

 Outline

• Running WRF code

– Before you run..
– Running real-data case
• Basic runtime options for a single domain
run (namelist)
• Check output
• Simple
Si l trouble
t bl shooting
h ti

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 Before You Run ..
• Check and make sure appropriate executables are
created in WRFV3/main/ directory:
- ideal.exe
- real.exe
l
- wrf.exe
- ndown.exe

• If you are running a real-data case, be sure that files

from WPS are correctly generated:
– met_em.d01.*, for ARW
• Prepare namelist.input for runtime options.

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 WRF test case directories
You have these choices in WRFV3/test/
(made at compile time):
em_real 3d real-data
em_quarter_ss
_ _
em_b_wave
3d ideal
em_les
em heldsuarez
em_heldsuarez
em_hill2d_x
em_squall2d_x
em_squall2d_y 2d ideal
em_grav2d_x
_
em_seabreeze2d_x _

Mesoscale & Microscale Meteorological Division / NCAR 5

 Steps
p to Run
1. cd to run/ or one of the test case
directories
py WPS output
2. Link or copy p files to the
directory for real-data cases
3 Edit namelist.input
3. namelist input file for the
appropriate grid and times of the case
4 Run initialization program (real.exe)
4. (real exe)
5. Run model executable, wrf.exe

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Running Real-Data Case

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 Running
g Real-Data Case
• If you have compiled the em_real case, you should
have:
real.exe - real data initialization program
wrf.exe - model executable
ndown.exe - program for doing one-way nesting
• These executables are linked to:
WRFV3/run
3/
and
WRFV3/test/em real
WRFV3/test/em_real

Î One can go to either directory to run.

Mesoscale & Microscale Meteorological Division / NCAR 8

 WRFV3/test/em_real directory
LANDUSE.TBL -> ../../run/LANDUSE.TBL
ETAMPNEW_DATA -> ../../run/ETAMPNEW_DATA
GENPARM TBL ->
GENPARM.TBL > ../../run/GENPARM.TBL
/ /run/GENPARM TBL
RRTM_DATA -> ../../run/RRTM_DATA
SOILPARM.TBL -> ../../run/SOILPARM.TBL
VEGPARM TBL ->
VEGPARM.TBL > ../../run/VEGPARM.TBL
/ /run/VEGPARM TBL
urban_param.tbl -> ../../run/urban_param.tbl
tr49t67 -> ../../run/tr49t67
tr49t85 -> ../../run/tr49t85
/ / /
tr67t85 -> ../../run/tr67t85
gribmap.txt -> ../../run/gribmap.txt
grib2map.tbl -> ../../run/grib2map.tbl
namelist.input - require editing
real.exe -> ../../main/real.exe
wrf.exe -> ../../main/wrf.exe
ndown.exe -> ../../main/ndown.exe
/ / /
…. (a few more) Mesoscale & Microscale Meteorological Division / NCAR 9
 Running WRF Real-data
Real data Cases

• One must successfully run WPS, and create

met_em.* file for more than one time period

• Link or copy WPS output files to the run

directory:
cd test/em_real
ln -s ../../../WPS/met_em.* .

Mesoscale & Microscale Meteorological Division / NCAR 10

 Running WRF Real-data
Real data Cases

• Edit namelist.input
namelist input file for runtime options (at
mininum, one must edit &time_control for start, end
and integration times, and &domains for grid
di
dimensions)
i )

• Run the real-data initialization program:

./real.exe, if compiled serially / SMP, or
p
mpirun -npp N ./real.exe,
/ , for a MPI jjob
where N is the number of processors requested

Mesoscale & Microscale Meteorological Division / NCAR 11

 Running WRF Real-data
Real data Cases
• Successfullyy running
g this pprogram
g will create model
initial and boundary files:

Single
g time level
wrfinput_d01 data at model’s
wrfbdy_d01 start time

Multiple time level data

at the lateral boundary,
and only for domain 1

Mesoscale & Microscale Meteorological Division / NCAR 12

 Running WRF Real-data
Real data Cases
• Run the model executable byy typing:
yp g
./wrf.exe >& wrf.out &
or
mpirun
i -np N ./wrf.exe
/ f &
• Successfully running the model will a create model
historyy file:
wrfout_d01_2005-08-28_00:00:00

And
A d restart
t t file
fil if selected:
l t d
wrfrst_d01_<date>

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Basic namelist Options

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 What is a namelist?

• A Fortran namelist contains a list of runtime

options for the code to read in during its
execution.
• Use of a namelist allows one to change
runtime
i configuration
fi i without
ih the
h need d to
recompile the source code.

Mesoscale & Microscale Meteorological Division / NCAR 15

 &time_control
run_days = 0,
run_hours = 24, First column: domain 1 option
run_minutes = 0,
run_seconds
d = 0
0,
start_year = 2000, 2000, 2000,
start_month = 01, 01, 01,
start_day = 24, 24, 24,
start hour
start_hour = 12
12, 12
12, 12
12,
start_minute = 00, 00, 00,
start_second = 00, 00, 00,
end_year = 2000, 2000, 2000,
end month
end_month = 01
01, 01
01, 01
01,
end_day = 25, 25, 25,
end_hour = 12, 12, 12,
end_minute = 00, 00, 00,
end second
end_second = 00
00, 00
00, 00
00,
interval_seconds = 21600
history_interval = 180, 60, 60,
frame_per_outfile = 1000, 1000, 1000,
nest options
restart interval
restart_interval = 360,
360

Mesoscale & Microscale Meteorological Division / NCAR 16

 Notes on &time_control
_
• run_* time variables:
– Model simulation length: wrf.exe and domain 1
only
• start_
start * and end_
end * time variables:
– Program real will use WPS output between these
times to p
produce lateral ((and lower)) boundary
y file
– They can also be used to specify the start and end
of simulation times for the coarse grid.

Mesoscale & Microscale Meteorological Division / NCAR 17

 Notes on &time_control
_
• Interval_seconds:
– Ti
Time interval
i t l between
b t WPS output
t t times,
ti and
d
LBC update frequency
• historyy_interval:
– Time interval in minutes when a history output
time is written
– The
Th time
ti stamp
t in
i a history
hi t file
fil name iis th the titime
when the history file is first written, and multiple
time periods may be written in one file. e.g. a
hi t
history file
fil ffor d
domain
i 1 ththatt iis fifirstt written
itt ffor 1200
UTC Jan 24 2000 is
wrfout_d01_2000-01-24_12:00:00
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 Notes on &time_control
_
• frame_per_outfile:
– Number
N b off hi
history
t titimes written
itt tto one file.
fil
• restart_interval:
– Time interval in minutes when a restart file is
written.
– By default, restart file is not written at hour 0.
– A restart file contains only one time level data, and
its valid time is in its file name, e.g. a restart file for
domain 1 that is valid for 0000 UTC Jan 25 2000 is

wrfrst_d01_2000-01-25_00:00:00

Mesoscale & Microscale Meteorological Division / NCAR 19

 &time_control

io_form_history = 2,
io form restart
io_form_restart = 2,
2
io_form_input = 2, IO format options:
io_form_boundary = 2,
debug_level = 0,
= 1, binary
= 2, netcdf (most common)
= 4, PHDF5
= 5, Grib 1
=10, Grib 2

Debug print control:

Increasing values give
more prints.

Mesoscale & Microscale Meteorological Division / NCAR 20

 &domains
time_step = 180
time_step_fract_num = 0,
time_step_fract_den = 1,
max_dom = 1,
s_we = 1, 1, 1,
e_we = 74, 112, 94,
s_sn = 1, 1, 1,
e_sn = 61
61, 9 nest91
97, 91,
s_vert = 1, 1,options
1,
e_vert = 28, 28, 28,
num metgrid levels
num_metgrid_levels = 21
dx = 30000, 10000, 3333,
dy = 30000, 10000, 3333,
eta levels
eta_levels = 1
1.0,0.996,0.99,0.98,…
0 0 996 0 99 0 98 0
0.0
0
p_top_requested = 5000,
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 Notes on &domains
• time_step, time_step_fract_num, time_step_frac_den:
– Ti
Time step
t for
f modeld l integration
i t ti iin seconds.
d
– Fractional time step specified in separate integers of
numerator and denominator.
– ARW: 6 x DX (DX is grid distance in km)
• s_we, s_sn, s_vert:
– Starting indices in X, Y, and Z direction; 1 for domain 1.
• e_we, e_sn, e_vert:
– Model grid dimensions in X, Y and Z directions.
• num_metgrid_levels:
num metgrid levels:
– Number of metgrid (input) data levels.
• dx, dy:
– grid
id di
distances
t i meters
in t for
f ARW
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 Notes on &domains
• p_top_requested:
– Pressure value at the model top.
– Constrained by the available data from WPS.

• eta_levels:
– Specify your own model levels from 1.0 to 0.0.
– If nott specified,
ifi d program reall will
ill calculate
l l t a sett off llevels
l ffor
you

Mesoscale & Microscale Meteorological Division / NCAR 23

 Where do I start?

• Always start with a namelist template provided in a

test case directory, whether it is an ideal case, or
real data case
real-data case.
– A number of namelist templates are provided in
test/em_real/ directory
• Use document to guide the modification of the
namelist values:
– run/README.namelist
– User’s Guide, Chapter 5
– Full list of namelist can be found in Registry files:
Registry EM and registry
Registry.EM, registry.io_boilerploate
io boilerploate

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 To run a job in a different directory..

• Directories run/ and test_<case>/ are

convenient places to run, but it does not have
to be.
• Copy or link the content of these directories to
another
h didirectory, iincluding
l di physics
h i d data fil
files,
wrf input and boundary files and wrf namelist
and executables,
executables and you should be able to
run a job anywhere on your system.

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Check Output

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 Output After a Model Run

• Standard out/error files:

wrf.out, or rsl.* files
• Model history file(s):
wrfout_d01_<date>
_ _
• Model restart file(s), optional
wrfrst d01 <date>
wrfrst_d01_<date>

Mesoscale & Microscale Meteorological Division / NCAR 27

 Output from a multi
multi-processor
processor run

The standard out and error will go to the

following files for a MPI run:
mpirun -np 4 .wrf.exe Î

rsl.out.0000 rsl.error.0000
rsl.out.0001 rsl.error.0001
rsl.out.0002 rsl.error.0002
rsl.out.0003 rsl.error.0003

There is one pair of files for each processor

requested
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What to Look for in a standard out File?

Check run log file by typing

tail wrf.out, or
tail rsl.out.0000

You should see the following if the job is

successfully completed:
wrf: SUCCESS COMPLETE WRF

Mesoscale & Microscale Meteorological Division / NCAR 29

 How to Check Model Historyy File?

• Use ncdump:
ncdump –v Times wrfout_d01_<date>
to check output times
times. Or
ncdump –v U wrfout_d01_<date>
to check a particular variable (U)

• Use ncview or ncBrowse (great tools!)

• Use post-processing tools (see talks later)

Mesoscale & Microscale Meteorological Division / NCAR 30

 What is in a wrf.out or rsl file?
• Time taken to compute one model step:
Timing for main: time 2000-01-24_12:03:00 on domain 1: 3.25000 elapsed seconds.
Timing for main: time 2000-01-24_12:06:00 on domain 1: 1.50000 elapsed seconds.
Timing for main: time 2000-01-24_12:09:00 on domain 1: 1.50000 elapsed seconds.
Timing for main: time 2000-01-24_12:12:00 on domain 1: 1.55000 elapsed seconds.

• Time taken to write history and restart file:

Timing for Writing wrfout_d01_2000
wrfout d01 2000-01-24
01 24_18:00:00
18:00:00 for domain 1: 0
0.14000
14000 elapsed
seconds.

• Any model error prints:

5 points exceeded cfl=2 in domain 1 at time 4.200000 MAX AT i,j,k: 123 48 3
cfl,w,d(eta)= 4.165821

−> An indication the model has become numerically unstable

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Simple Trouble Shooting

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 Often seen runtime problems
Often-seen
– module_configure:
g initial_config:
g error reading
g
namelist: &dynamics

−> Typos or erroneous namelist variable exist in

namelist record &dynamics
& in namelist.input
file

– input_wrf.F: SIZE MISMATCH: namelist

ide,jde,num_metgrid_levels= 70 61 27 ; input
data ide
ide,jde,num_metgrid_levels=
jde num metgrid levels= 74 61 27

−> Grid dimensions in error

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 Often seen runtime problems
Often-seen
– Segmentation
g fault (core dumped)
p
−> Often typing ‘unlimit’ or equivalent can help
when this happens quickly in a run.
— 121 points exceeded cfl=2 in domain 1 at time
4.200000 MAX AT i,j,k: 123 48 3 cfl,w,d(eta)=
4 165821
4.165821
−> Model becomes unstable due to various
pp
reasons. If it happens soon after the start
time, check input data, and/or reduce time
step.

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 References

• Information on compiling and rrunning

nning WRF
WRF,
and a more extensive list of namelist options
and their definition / explanations can be found
in the User’s Guide, Chapter 5
• Also see ‘Nesting
Nesting Setup and Run’
Run talk.

http://www.mmm.ucar.edu/wrf/users/tutorial/tutorial
p _p
presentation.htm

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