the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
| 31 Mar 2026
Optimizing WRF physics for multi-decadal simulation of near-surface climate over arid Xinjiang, China
Abstract. Complex terrain, heterogeneous surfaces, and diverse moisture sources complicate mesoscale modeling in arid and semi-arid regions. To evaluate the performance of Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model physics in Xinjiang, we tested 34 combinations of physical parameterizations to simulate near-surface climate variables for 1960–2020 and evaluated the simulations against surface observations. Overall skill was highest for 2 m air temperature and surface pressure, moderate for 10 m wind speed and 2 m relative humidity, and lowest for precipitation. Surface downward shortwave radiation was systematically overestimated in spring and summer. Sensitivity analyses show that the Betts–Miller–Janjic (BMJ) cumulus and WRF double-moment 6-class (WDM6) microphysics schemes improve precipitation simulation, while the Mellor–Yamada–Nakanishi–Niino (MYNN) planetary boundary layer scheme improves the representation of wind speed and relative humidity. Configurations using the Simplified Arakawa–Schubert (SAS) or Tiedtke cumulus schemes perform better for surface downward shortwave radiation, and the Community Land Model version 4 (CLM4) improves simulations of temperature and surface pressure. A multi-variable composite evaluation identifies an ensemble-optimal physics suite consisting of Thompson microphysics, Tiedtke cumulus, Rapid Radiative Transfer Model (RRTM) longwave and Dudhia shortwave radiation schemes, the Grenier–Bretherton–McCaa (GBM) planetary boundary layer scheme, the Revised MM5 surface-layer scheme, and the Noah-MP land surface model. This configuration provides the most balanced performance across variables and offers a reference for regional climate simulation in arid and semi-arid regions.
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Status: open (until 26 May 2026)
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CEC1: 'Comment on egusphere-2025-6248 - No compliance with the policy of the journal', Juan Antonio Añel, 01 Apr 2026
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AC1: 'Reply on CEC1', Yang Xu, 05 Apr 2026
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Dear Editor,
Thank you very much for your careful assessment and for pointing out the issues related to compliance with the GMD Code and Data Policy.
We have now revised the manuscript and uploaded the revised version for verification. In the revised manuscript, all newly modified text in the main body has been marked in red to facilitate checking.
The revisions made in response to your comment are as follows:
- Permanent archive for the code used in this study
We have archived the model configuration files, scheme-specific settings, and custom scripts used in this study in Zenodo with a permanent DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.19426912
A development version is also available on GitHub for transparency:
https://github.com/xuyanggeo/WRF-physics-evaluation-Xinjiang
- Permanent archive for the dataset generated in this study
The daily near-surface meteorological dataset generated in this study has been archived in Zenodo with a permanent DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18182172
- Explicit documentation of the WRF model code used
We have now explicitly specified the WRF model version in the manuscript. The model used in this study is WRF v4.4, and its official archived source and DOI have been added:
https://doi.org/10.5065/1dfh-6p97
The corresponding reference (Skamarock et al., 2019) has also been added to the bibliography.
- Completion of the Code and Data Availability section
We have fully revised the Code and Data Availability section to document all data and code sources used in this study, including:
- the Zenodo archive for the generated dataset,
- the Zenodo archive for the experiment code and configuration files,
- the official WRF model source,
- ERA5 hourly data on single levels,
- ERA5 hourly data on pressure levels,
- ASTER GDEM v003,
- MODIS MCD12Q1 v061,
- and the CMA observational dataset used for evaluation.
- Clarification regarding CMA station observations
The China National Ground Meteorological Station Daily Dataset (V3.0) used in this study was obtained legally through an authorized institutional access channel from the National Meteorological Information Center, China Meteorological Administration. However, due to the access policy of the data provider, these station observations are not publicly redistributable by the authors. We have therefore clearly stated in the manuscript that the dataset is available from the official CMA data platform, subject to the provider’s access policy:
https://data.cma.cn/
- Corresponding references added to the bibliography
We have added the corresponding references for the archived dataset, the archived code, and the official WRF model documentation to the bibliography, in accordance with the journal requirements.
We believe that these revisions fully address the concerns raised regarding the Code and Data Policy. If any additional clarification is still needed, we would be happy to provide it.
Best regards,
Yang Xu
Citation: https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-6248-AC1 -
CEC2: 'Reply on AC1', Juan Antonio Añel, 05 Apr 2026
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Dear authors,
Thanks for the reply. Unfortunately, it does not solve the no compliance of your manuscript with the policy of the journal. First, you state that you have updated your manuscript, but it is not available here, and therefore it is not possible to consult the changes for the readers and the general public. Also, your reply does not contain the text for the new "Code and Data Availability" section, which you were requested to share.
Secondly, to access the WRF model you cite a document, not the code, and moreover it is avaiable from opensky.ucar.edu, a site that we can not accept as a permanent repository. Therefore, you must share the code of the exact version of WRF that you have used in an acceptable respository, as per the policy of the journal.
Finally, your reply does not provide the repositories for all the data used in your study, but simply states that you have included them. I would like to emphasize that sites like Copernicus, nasa.gov, ucar.edu and similar ones are not acceptable repositories and that data should be stored in one of the repositories that we can accept. Regarding the CMA data, I am sorry, but we can not accept your solution of providing a link. I have checked the CMA webpage that you cite, and I have not found any legal rule that makes explicit that users are forbidden to republish the data. In this regard, we would thank if you can point out where we can find it, in order to evaluate if we can grant you an exception to the policy.
Juan A. Añel
Geosci. Model Dev. Executive Editor
Citation: https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-6248-CEC2 -
AC2: 'Reply on CEC2', Yang Xu, 06 Apr 2026
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Dear Prof. Añel,
Thank you very much for your detailed comments and for your continued guidance regarding the compliance of our manuscript with the journal policy. We have carefully revised the manuscript and provide our responses below.
---Availability of the revised manuscript
We understand your concern that the revised manuscript was not accessible through the discussion system. We attempted to locate a dedicated interface for uploading a revised version but could not find such an option in EGUsphere.
At the same time, the submission interface explicitly states:
“Attention: please do NOT submit your revised manuscript here as supplement.”Due to this ambiguity, we were uncertain about the correct procedure. To ensure that the revised manuscript is available for editors and readers, we have now uploaded a supplementary archive (Supplement.zip) via the system, which contains:
- Revised manuscript (Revised manuscript.pdf)
- Supporting material documenting data access restrictions (screenshot.png)
We hope this approach is acceptable and would appreciate your guidance if a different procedure is preferred.
---Code and data availability statement
We have substantially revised the Code and Data Availability section to comply with the journal policy. Specifically:
- The dataset generated in this study is archived in Zenodo with a DOI.
- All model configuration files, scripts, and experiment-related code are archived in Zenodo with a DOI.
- The exact version of the WRF (v4.4) and WPS source code used in this study has been archived in Zenodo and is publicly accessible.
- All datasets used in the study are now explicitly listed with persistent identifiers (DOIs where available).
These updates have been consistently reflected in the manuscript, the Code and Data Availability section, and the reference list.
---Third-party datasets
For ERA5, ASTER GDEM, and MODIS datasets, we now provide official DOI-based access links to ensure persistent identification and traceability.
---CMA observational dataset
The China National Ground Meteorological Station Dataset (V3.0) used in this study is derived from more than 2,400 national meteorological stations and is managed by the China Meteorological Administration (CMA).
In recent years, access to these data has become more strictly regulated due to data security and management policies. Currently:
- Access to the full dataset requires a formal application and authorization through the official CMA data portal.
- Users must meet specific requirements and obtain approval before accessing the data.
- Public access is limited; only very recent data (typically from the past 7 days up to about 2 days before present) can be directly downloaded.
To document these restrictions, we have included a screenshot of the official CMA data portal (screenshot.png) in the Supplement.
Based on these conditions, redistribution of the full dataset is restricted, which prevents us from archiving and redistributing the data in an open repository.
We would greatly appreciate your guidance on whether this documentation is sufficient to justify an exception under the journal’s data policy, or whether additional evidence is required.
We hope that these revisions address your concerns. We would be grateful for your further guidance, particularly regarding the correct procedure for submitting revised manuscripts and handling restricted-access datasets.
Thank you again for your time and support.
Kind regards,
Yang Xu
(on behalf of all co-authors)-
CEC3: 'Reply on AC2', Juan Antonio Añel, 08 Apr 2026
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Dear authors,
Thanks for your reply. Unfortunately, I do not think you have understood that you need to post here, in Discussions, and not submit elsewhere (through the editorial manager system) the contents of your reply. You can only submit a modified manuscript in a new step of the review stage. That is, if the Topical Editor decides to continue with the review or publication process for your manuscript, and this will not happen unless we have clarified all the Code and Data availability issues before. Therefore, please, post here in your next reply in Discussions to my comment, as soon as possible, the exact text of the new "Code and Data Availability" section that you have written for your manuscript, so that we can assess if it is in compliance with the policy of the journal, and the readers have access to it.
Juan A. Añel
Geosci. Model Dev. Executive Editor
Citation: https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-6248-CEC3 -
AC3: 'Reply on CEC3', Yang Xu, 08 Apr 2026
reply
Dear Prof. Añel,
Thank you for your clarification and guidance.
As requested, we provide below the exact text of the revised "Code and Data Availability" section from our manuscript:
Code and data availability
The daily near-surface meteorological dataset generated in this study, including outputs from multiple WRF physics parameterization schemes over Xinjiang, is publicly archived at Zenodo: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18182172.
The code, model configuration files, and custom scripts used for the WRF physics parameterization experiments are publicly archived at Zenodo: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.19426912.
The exact source code of the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model, version 4.4, and the WRF Preprocessing System (WPS) used in this study are publicly archived at Zenodo: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.19433260.
The ERA5 reanalysis datasets used for initial and boundary conditions include (1) ERA5 hourly data on single levels, available at https://doi.org/10.24381/cds.adbb2d47, and (2) ERA5 hourly data on pressure levels, available at https://doi.org/10.24381/cds.bd0915c6 (Hersbach et al., 2020).
The China National Ground Meteorological Station Daily Dataset (V3.0) used for model evaluation was obtained from the National Meteorological Information Center, China Meteorological Administration (CMA). Redistribution of these data is subject to the data provider’s access policy. The official access portal is https://data.cma.cn/.
The ASTER GDEM v003 elevation data used for terrain preprocessing are available at https://doi.org/10.5067/ASTER/ASTGTM.003.
The MODIS MCD12Q1 v061 land-use/land-cover data used in this study are available at https://doi.org/10.5067/MODIS/MCD12Q1.061.We would be grateful if you could confirm whether this version complies with the journal policy.
Kind regards,
Yang Xu (on behalf of all co-authors)Citation: https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-6248-AC3 -
CEC4: 'Reply on AC3', Juan Antonio Añel, 10 Apr 2026
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Dear authors,
Thanks for your reply. Unfortunately, we can not accept the sites that you link for the ERA5, ASTER and MODIS data. They are not permanent repositories, and as pointed out in my first comment, they do not comply with the necessary requirements for publication in the journal. Therefore, please store the data in a permanent repository that we can accept, and reply to this comment with a new "Code and Data Availability" statement that complies with the requirements.
Also, you need to provide evidence that you are not allowed to redistribute the CMA data (link to documentation, license, etc.), otherwise, we have to request you to store the data in a public repository without limitations.
Please, address these outstanding issues as soon as possible.
Juan A. Añel
Geosci. Model Dev. Executive Editor
Citation: https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-6248-CEC4 -
AC4: 'Reply on CEC4', Yang Xu, 13 Apr 2026
reply
Dear Prof. Añel,
Thank you very much for your time, careful evaluation, and detailed guidance regarding our manuscript.
After careful consideration, we regret to inform you that we are currently unable to fully comply with the journal’s Code and Data availability policy within a reasonable timeframe. Therefore, we have decided to withdraw our manuscript from the review process and consider submission to another journal.
We sincerely appreciate the effort and support provided by you and the editorial team throughout this process.
Kind regards,
Yang Xu
(on behalf of all co-authors)Citation: https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-6248-AC4
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AC4: 'Reply on CEC4', Yang Xu, 13 Apr 2026
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CEC4: 'Reply on AC3', Juan Antonio Añel, 10 Apr 2026
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AC3: 'Reply on CEC3', Yang Xu, 08 Apr 2026
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AC2: 'Reply on CEC2', Yang Xu, 06 Apr 2026
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AC1: 'Reply on CEC1', Yang Xu, 05 Apr 2026
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Model code and software
Code description (for GMD code upload) Yang Xu https://github.com/apsiamsuer/GMD
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Dear authors,
Unfortunately, after checking your manuscript, it has come to our attention that it does not comply with our "Code and Data Policy".
https://www.geoscientific-model-development.net/policies/code_and_data_policy.html
First, you have archived part of the assets necessary to produce your work on GitHub. However, GitHub is not a suitable repository for scientific publication. GitHub itself instructs authors to use other long-term archival and publishing alternatives, such as Zenodo. In addition, you have not declared in the Code and Data Availability section several datasets that you use: observations from the CMA, ERA5, topographic data, and land use/cover data. Moreover, the sites that you have linked to access them (including the nasa.gov sites that you cite) do not fulfil GMD’s requirements for a persistent data archive because:
- They do not appear to have a published policy for data preservation over many years or decades (some flexibility exists over the precise length of preservation, but the policy must exist).
- They do not appear to have a published mechanism for preventing authors from unilaterally removing material. Archives must have a policy which makes removal of materials only possible in exceptional circumstances and subject to an independent curatorial decision,
- They do not appear to issue a persistent identifier such as a DOI or Handle for each precise dataset.
If we have missed a published policy which does in fact address this matter satisfactorily, please post a response linking to it. If you have any questions about this issue, please post them in a reply.
Additionally, you do not seem to have published in a permanent repository the WRF model code that you use in your work.
The GMD review and publication process depends on reviewers and community commentators being able to access, during the discussion phase, the code and data on which a manuscript depends, and on ensuring the provenance of replicability of the published papers for years after their publication. Due to it, and the lack of compliance, your manuscript should have not been accepted for Discussions or peer review. Please, therefore, publish your code and data in one of the appropriate repositories and reply to this comment with the relevant information (link and a permanent identifier for it (e.g. DOI)) as soon as possible. We cannot have manuscripts under discussion that do not comply with our policy.
The 'Code and Data Availability’ section must also be modified to cite the new repository locations, and corresponding references added to the bibliography.
I must note that if you do not fix this problem, we cannot continue with the peer-review process or accept your manuscript for publication in GMD.
Juan A. Añel
Geosci. Model Dev. Executive Editor