Earth Syst. Dynam. Discuss., doi:10.5194/esd-2017-31, 2017 Manuscript under review for journal Earth Syst. Dynam. Discussion started: 5 April 2017 c Author(s) 2017. CC-BY 3.0 License. Quantifying the added value of high resolution climate models: A systematic comparison of WRF simulations for complex Himalayan terrain 5 Ramchandra Karki 1,2, Shabeh ul Hasson 1,3, Lars Gerlitz4, Udo Schickhoff 1, Thomas Scholten5, Jürgen Böhner 1 1 Center for Earth System Research and Sustainability, Institute of Geography, University of Hamburg, Bundesstraße 55, 20146 Hamburg, Germany 2 Department of Hydrology and Meteorology, Government of Nepal, 406 Naxal, Kathmandu, Nepal 10 3 Department of Space Sciences, Institute of Space Technology, Islamabad 44000, Pakistan 4 Section Hydrology, GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences, Telegrafenberg, 14473 Potsdam, Germany 5 Soil Science and Geomorphology, University of Tübingen, Department of Geosciences, Rümelinstrasse 19- 23, 72070 Tübingen, Germany 15 Correspondence:
[email protected] Abstract. Mesoscale dynamical refinements of global climate models or atmospheric reanalysis have shown their potential to resolve the intricate atmospheric processes, their land surface interactions, and subsequently, realistic distribution of climatic fields in complex terrains. Given that such potential is yet to be explored within 20 the central Himalayan region of Nepal, we investigate the skill of the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model with different spatial resolutions in reproducing the spatial, seasonal and diurnal characteristics of the near-surface air temperature and precipitation, as well as, the spatial shifts in the diurnal monsoonal precipitation peak over the Khumbu (Everest), Rolwaling and adjacent southern areas.