Profile:

Melecio-Vázquez earned dual Bachelor's degrees in Aerospace Engineering and Mechanical Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. He now applies his knowledge in fluid flows studying the boundary-layer in urban canopies.

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NERTO Research Project Title:

Improving the Representation of Urban Processes in the HRRR Model

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NERTO Project Details :

Synopsis:

The project is to assist in the testing and development of the WRF-ARW urban parameterization (BEP-BEM) making it compatible with the RAP/HRRR suite of physical parameterizations. Case studies will be performed to characterize the impact of the urban parameterization on forecast performance. Additionally, the project will seek to improve the computational efficiency of the WRF Urban

parameterization, such that parameterization may be considered for operational implementation as a component of future RAP/HRRR upgrades at NCEP. 

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NERTO Outcomes:

- Network training: I was proactive in seeking answers to questions by knocking on as many doors as I could. I received much more than I anticipated and this inspired me to work harder for them as well. Whereas my original project had me assigned to the Global Systems Division at ESRL, I ended up interacting with two more departments: the Physical Sciences Division and the Chemical Sciences Division.- More HPC experience: Since my work required the use of high-performance computing (HPC) resources, I was able to grow further in this area. I was able to get immediate feedback and thus curve the use of inefficient code.- Better perspective on the use of the Microwave Radiometer: My interactions with Dave Turner helped me gain perspective on this instrument. The data from this instrument is easy to misuse and his insight provided further guidance on how to use it in my research.

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Value of NERTO to the Line Office:

The results from the WRF urban parameterization will be integrated into the Rapid Refresh/ High-Resolution Rapid Refresh/HRRR physics suite and its impact on forecast performance tested and documented in case studies.

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NERTO Skills:

- Web programming: I interacted with software engineers (Randy Pierce and Molly Smith) who directly service the HRRR team. Specifically, they have created an interactive website scientists can use to validate their numerical experiments. They were able to work with me to create a small prototype of that product so that I now have a "sandbox" to play with and expand.- Microwave Radiometer Retrieval Algorithms: Dave Turner was very generous with his time. He helped me to get a working version of his algorithm running so that I can use it to better my analyses.