The Use of the Weather Research and Forecasting Model to Estimate the Vertical Profile of Meteorological Data

The vertical profile of some meteorological variables and the estimate of their concentrations are important to correct the atmospheric effects in the satellite images. These profiles are used in Radiative Transfer Codes to provide atmospheric parameters for the atmospheric correction. The aim of this study is to evaluate the reliability of the WRF model in reproducing radiosonde data in situations where there are no observed local meteorological variables. It was used the WRF model and NCEP reanalysis data to generate a vertical atmospheric profile in a region characterized by humid atmosphere and nearly of the ocean. The profiles generated were compared with the airport radiosonde data of the Wyoming database, launched at 80 km of the study area. The results showed that the relative humidity is the variable that presents the higher differences in the entire vertical profile.