Wave-phase-aware model implementation in WRF-LES v3.8.1 for turbulence-resolving simulations of turbulent flow over monochromatic waves

Abstract. In simulations of turbulent marine atmospheric flows, wind-wave interactions are commonly represented using bulk, wave-phase-averaged parameterizations, which can introduce errors across different wave conditions due to their inability to capture phase-dependent processes. In scale-resolving large-eddy simulations (LES) or direct numerical simulations (DNS), wave-phase-resolved approaches explicitly represent wave geometry, but at a substantial computational cost. To bridge this gap, recent developments in wave-phase-aware models incorporate phase-dependent effects at reduced cost, often by leveraging canopy-stress analogies originally developed for atmospheric boundary layer flows over rough surfaces. However, differences in model implementation across numerical frameworks have hindered direct comparison of the predictions from these different wave representations in LES. In this study, we implement two wave-phase-aware models, the Wave Drag Model (WDM) and the Windward Potential Flow Model (WPM), within a unified LES framework using WRF-LES, and compare them against a wave-phase-resolved moving-wave (MOW) model under identical forcing conditions, enabling a consistent assessment of the trade-offs between computational efficiency and physical fidelity. The wave-phase-aware models reproduce mean velocity profiles with typical deviations of 𝒪(8 %–11 %), with best agreement for low steepness (ak = 0.10) across all wave ages, while discrepancies increase for steeper waves at high wave age. They capture key momentum transfer behavior, including momentum reversal from the waves to the airflow, but underestimate wave-induced velocity fluctuations by about one order of magnitude relative to the wave-phase-resolved model. The wave-phase-aware models implemented in WRF-LES v3.8.1 are made publicly available to facilitate reproducibility and broader community use.