EMD-ConWx Meso Data Europe
Introduction
WindPRO 2.9 introduced a high-resolution meso-scale data set covering Europe. The data is modeled and computed in-house, and was originally developed in a collaboration between EMD and ConWx (http://www.conwx.com). ConWx are experts in meso-scale modelling.
Note: This dataset requires an additional license (see below).
Dataset Description
The meso-scale model is run at a high spatial resolution of 0.03°x0.03°, approximately 3x3 km, and with hourly temporal resolution. ERA Interim data from ECMWF (http://www.ecmwf.int) is the global boundary data. The timespan of the data is at least 15 years back from today, extended to cover a minimum of 20 years during 2013. Data access is via WindPRO’s user friendly interface to on-line data and requires payment of an annual subscription fee.
Release Schedule
Data is updated monthly with approximately 3 months delay defined by ERA Interim's availability and computational efforts regarding EMD's high-performance computer clusters. Before contacting support because of delays in the release schedule, please check ERA interim's availability on the ERA availability page. EMD-ConWX data cannot be computed before ERA interim data is available.
When downloading the most recent data, please note that the last day of the last month will be missing until the next month is added. This is because, in order to compute a full day of EmdConWx data, the 24:00h (or 0:00 of following day) time stamp is required, but the last time stamp of a month in ERA interim data is 18:00 h.
Usage Note: The EMD-ConWx dataset is discontinued from November/December 2019
2019-08-26: The last month with ERA-Interim data is expected to be august 2019 as ECMWF has discontinued this dataset and replaced it with the ERA5 Data. The last batch of ERA-Interim data is expected to be available from ECMWF in November/December 2019 - so EMD will cease to update the EMD-ConWx data then. The EMD-WRF Europe+ (ERA5) dataset is already available as the natural, higher-quality successor for the EMD-ConWx dataset. Find more information here.
Required modules/licenses
To access the EMD-ConWx meso-scale data the following licenses/modules are required in your WindPRO setup:
- Basis
- METEO
- EMD-ConWx Meso Data, Europe
When the license fee is paid, you then have access to the full dataset without further cost. The price is available from the price-list on the EMD-homepage. Downloading of data is unrestricted for licenced users, however, a "fair use" policy applies. Unlicenced users may download three months of data from any point, however, multiple downloads are not allowed from the same point.
Visit EMD online ordering to purchase the needed licences.
Model Domain
The model domain for the EMD-ConWx model is shown in the figure below. Our new dataset covers Europe including larger parts of Turkey and Ukraine but excluding the northern extremes of Scandinavia.
Dataset Parameters
A large quantity of useful parameters are available directly in WindPRO to aid in your analysis. The different parameters in the EMD-ConWx dataset that are available from within WindPRO are shown in the table below.
| Parameter | Unit | Description | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| time | UTC time stamp | ||
| psfc | Pa | Pressure at site | Instantaneous |
| msl | Pa | Pressure at mean sea level | Instantaneous |
| wSpeed.x | m/s | Wind speeds at different physical levels (x). Heights (x): 10m, 25m, 50m, 75m, 100m, 150m, 200m |
Instantaneous |
| wDir.x | deg | Wind directions at different physical levels (x). Heights (x): 10m, 25m, 50m, 75m, 100m, 150m, 200m |
Instantaneous |
| wSpeed.0-30mb | m/s | Wind speeds at pressure level 0-30mb. | Instantaneous |
| wDir.0-30mb | deg | Wind directions at pressure levels 0-30mb. | Instantaneous |
| wSpeed.850hpa | m/s | Wind speeds at pressure level 850hPa. | Instantaneous |
| wDir.850hpa | deg | Wind directions at pressure levels 850hPa. | Instantaneous |
| temperature.x | celcius | Temperatures at different heights (x) Heights (x): 2m and 100m |
Instantaneous |
| waterTemp | celcius | Water temperature | Instantaneous |
| soilTemp.0-10cm | celcius | The temperature in the upper 10 cm of the soil | Instantaneous |
| relHumidity.2 | % | Relative humidity in height 2m above ground level | Instantaneous |
| snowDepth | m | Show depth (if present) | Instantaneous |
| vis.s | m | Visibility at surface | Instantaneous |
| sensHeatFlux.s | w/m2 | Sensible Heat Flux at surface | Instantaneous |
| totPrecip.s | kg/m^2 | Total Precipitation at surface | 1h Accumulated |
| downShortWaveFlux.s | w/m2 | Downward shortwave irradiance at surface | 1h Average |
| totalCloudCover.a | % | Total cloud cover in atmosphere | 1h Average |
| convCloudCover.a | % | Convective cloud cover in atmosphere | 1h Average |
| 4LFTX | K | N/A | |
| rmol[1] | 1/m | Inverse (reverse) Monin-Obukhov-Length | |
| znt | m | Rougnhess length | |
| Data below this line are not shown in a default import of EmdConWx data, but can be made available by clicking repeatedly on the "+" button in the lower left corner of the import table. | |||
| sqrtTKE.x [2][3] | m/s | Wind speed given as standard deviation in m/s. Derived from the turbulent kinetic energy (TKE). Results available in different physical levels. Heights (x): 10m, 25m, 50m, 75m, 100m, 150m, 200m |
Instantaneous |
| cloudWater.100 [2][4] | kg/kg | Parameter intended for estimating probability of icing. | Instantaneous |
| cloudIce.100 [2][4] | kg/m^2 | Parameter intended for estimating probability of icing. | Instantaneous |
Model Experiences and Validation
The model-setup has been validated through various internal investigations on masts around Europe. Direct comparison against a tall Danish mast at Høvsøre is found on the second page of the EMD-ConWx Meso datasheet available.
EMD and some users have found that the absolute levels of the wind speeds may be 10%-15% off at some Central European locations. However, note that this dataset was not designed to replace a mast but rather intended for long-term corrections of local masts. For this purpose, we have excellent experience with the use of the data – the absolute level does not need to be correct, as long as it is consistent.
For the absolute levels to be more accurate and potentially useful for direct micro-siting analysis, the need to incorporate a down-scaling procedure and further utilization of a micro-scale model with associated micro-scale topography is currently being investigated (2013).
In addition, the EMD-WRF modelling setup has been evaluated in a number of external benchmarks.
We have a separate EMD-WRF Benchmark Wiki-Page that holds links to those investigations.
Footnotes
- ↑ rmol parameter not to be used: Due to a numerical error in the post-processing - the rmol-values in the EMD-ConWx dataset are not reliable. Please use the rmol-values from the new EMD-WRF Europe+ dataset instead.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 These parameters were added late in the run of the EmdConWx dataset and hence they are not available for all years in the dataset (and not loaded by default). The data is there for 1993-1998 and for 2013-latest. Accessing it requires manually adding lines to the import filter
- ↑ Empirical turbulence calibration: The WRF post-processor takes the raw WRF model TKE-output and multiplies it with a factor 2. This is an empicical scaling made by the WRF toolchain in order to generate turbulence levels within the observable, natural range.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 cloudWater and cloudIcing values are extracted directly from the WRF meso-scale model and are normal output parameters of the same run as the other parameters (wind, temperature etc.). They are controlled by the WRF microphysics scheme for which Ferrier was used. For further information, please access the numerous internet resources about WRF use. EMD has not done any validation on the parameters, so they are provided as is.