Natural Environment Modeling Laboratory

Running and development of several Numerical Weather Prediction models is the core of the Natural Environment Modelling Section activity is. As a result, data characterized by various spatial and temporal resolutions is available:

1. Forecasts (78 hours) calculated using the UM UKMO ( United Kingdom Met Office Unified Model) with spatial resolution:
   1. 4 km; The model is run 4 times per day at 00:00, 06:00, 12:00 and 18:00 UTC, forecasts are available up to 5 hours after each start time.
   2. 1.5 km; The model is run once per day, forecasts are available before 09:00 UTC (first day of forecasts available before 06:00 UTC).
   The geographical extent of the UM domain is the area of Poland and major parts of all of the neighbouring countries.
2. Forecasts (120 hours) with spatial resolution of 3.4 km calculated using WRF (Weather Research and Forecasting Model). Forecasts are available 4 times per day at approximately 2:00, 10:00, 14:00 and 22:00 UTC. The geographical extent of WRF domain is the area of Poland and major parts of the neighbouring countries. The ICM UW can provide forecasts anywhere on the globe using WRF.
3. Forecasts (up to 120 hours) with spatial resolution of 13 km calculated using COAMPS (Coupled Ocean/Atmosphere Mesoscale Prediction System) model. Currently, COAMPS is run 2 times per day, but it is possible to increase this number up to 4. The geographical extent of the COAMPS domain is the area of Poland and major parts of the neighbouring countries. The additional forecasts for the area of the whole Europe and Northern Africa and the Mediterranean Sea area are also generated. The ICM UW can provide forecasts anywhere on the globe using COAMPS.
4. If needed, the above described data can be supplemented with long-term GFS (Global Forecast System) forecasts from NCEP (National Centres for Environmental Prediction). They are used mainly as the input data for other models, but taking into account their spatial resolution (0.25°) and temporal extent (10 days and more following the start time) they can be used directly for some applications.
5. ICM UW can provide data in any requested file format (including binary and text files, self-describing formats as NetCDF, HDF5 and GRIB) as well as deliver data in graphical forms (animations, maps). All models allow to estimate standard meteorological parameters (e.g. temperature, on standard and custom defined pressure levels as well as on constant altitude a. m. s. l. or above ground level. We can also provide non stand parameters (e.g. amount of solar radiation, flow convergence or various prognostic indices) including specialized meteorological parameters dedicated for the aviation.
6. ICM UW has a unique database of the climate change scenarios for the Polish territory. It was developed for the Ministry of The Environment and serves as a base for various adaptation studies. The calculations were made using regional climate simulations run in the frame of the Project ENSEMBLES for the scenario of the greenhouse gases SRES A1B emission. All climate parameters are estimated with spectral resolution of 25x25 km and monthly or seasonal temporal resolution. This base is updated using the newest models. The ICM UW runs the service, which allows unassisted estimation of climate parameters and indices using selected scenarios. There is a possibility to carry out dedicated analysis for selected locations and areas.