Multi‐site evaluation of an urban land‐surface model: intra‐urban heterogeneity, seasonality and parameter complexity requirements

Loridan, Thomas; Grimmond, Sue

doi:10.1002/qj.963

Cited by 50 publications

(58 citation statements)

References 44 publications

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“…In other work, Loridan et al (2010) evaluated the single-layer urban climate model (SLUCM), as a component of the mesoscale Weather Forecasting Model (WRF) model, and found that data on vegetative cover was especially important for improved simulations. Similarly, Loridan and Grimmond (2012) using the same model found that using data that described the character of urban neighbourhoods where flux observations are made, rather than using generic urban data, had a marked effect; SLUCM was better able to reproduce the turbulent fluxes at 15 sites across the US, Mexico, Canada, Australia, Finland and Poland.…”

Section: Urban Energy Budget (Ueb) Modelsmentioning

confidence: 87%

Using LCZ data to run an urban energy balance model

2015

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a b s t r a c tIn recent years a number of models have been developed that describe the urban surface and simulate its climatic effects. Their great advantage is that they can be applied in environments outside the cities in which they have been developed and evaluated. Thus, they may be applied to cities in the economically developing world, which are growing rapidly, and where the results of such models may have greatest impact with respect to informing planning decisions. However, data requirements, particularly for the more complex urban models, represent a major obstacle to their employment. Here, we examine the potential for running the Surface Urban Energy and Water Balance model (SUEWS) using readily obtained data. SUEWS was designed to simulate energy and water balance terms at a neighbourhood scale (P1 km 2 ) and requires site-specific meteorological data and a detailed description of the surface. Here, its simulations are evaluated by comparison with measurements made over a seven month (approximately 3 seasons) period (April-October) at two flux tower sites (representing urban and suburban landscapes) in Dublin, Ireland. However, the main purpose of this work is to test the performance of the model under 'ideal' and 'imperfect' circumstances in relation to the input data required to run SUEWS. The ideal case uses detailed urban land cover data and meteorological data from the tower sites. The imperfect cases use parameters derived from the Local Climate Zone (LCZ) classification scheme and meteorological data from a standard weather station located beyond the urban area. For the period of record examined, the simulations show good E-mail address: paul.alexander@nuim.ie (P.J. Alexander).Urban Climate 13 (2015) 14-37 Contents lists available at ScienceDirectUrban Climate journ al homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/uclim agreement with the observations in both ideal and imperfect cases, suggesting that the model can be used with data that is more easily derived. The comparison also shows the importance of including vegetative cover and of the initial moisture state in simulating the urban energy budget.

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Section: Urban Energy Budget (Ueb) Modelsmentioning

confidence: 87%

Using LCZ data to run an urban energy balance model

2015

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“…The inaccuracies have been well documented (Best and Grimmond, 2015) and there have been studies done that have utilized parameterization techniques and different model schemes to try and get better agreement between the model and the observations (e.g. Loridan and Grimmond, 2012;Loridan et al, 2010). Loridan and Grimmond (2012) conducted a study using an offline Noah/SLUCM model to assess errors across 27 observational datasets, which represented 15 different urban sites at different times of the year.…”

Section: Pbl and Lsm Scheme Sensitivity And Improving Simulations Ovementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Loridan and Grimmond, 2012;Loridan et al, 2010). Loridan and Grimmond (2012) conducted a study using an offline Noah/SLUCM model to assess errors across 27 observational datasets, which represented 15 different urban sites at different times of the year. In addition, five sets of parameter values and parameter configurations were used to try to reduce the errors across the 27 datasets.…”

Section: Pbl and Lsm Scheme Sensitivity And Improving Simulations Ovementioning

confidence: 99%

A comprehensive assessment of land surface-atmosphere interactions in a WRF/Urban modeling system for Indianapolis, IN

Sarmiento

Davis

Deng

et al. 2017

Elementa: Science of the Anthropocene

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As part of the Indianapolis Flux (INFLUX) experiment, the accuracy and biases of simulated meteorological fields were assessed for the city of Indianapolis, IN. The INFLUX project allows for a unique opportunity to conduct an extensive observation-to-model comparison in order to assess model errors for the following meteorological variables: latent heat and sensible heat fluxes, air temperature near the surface and in the planetary boundary layer (PBL), wind speed and direction, and PBL height. In order to test the sensitivity of meteorological simulations to different model packages, a set of simulations was performed by implementing different PBL schemes, urban canopy models (UCMs), and a model subroutine that was created in order to reduce an inherent model overestimation of urban land cover. It was found that accurately representing the amount of urban cover in the simulations reduced the biases in most cases during the summertime (SUMMER) simulations. The simulations that used the BEP urban canopy model and the Bougeault & Lacarrere (BouLac) PBL scheme had the smallest biases in the wintertime (WINTER) simulations for most meteorological variables, with the exception being wind direction. The model configuration chosen had a larger impact on model errors during the WINTER simulations, whereas the differences between most of the model configurations during the SUMMER simulations were not statistically significant. By learning the behaviors of different PBL schemes and urban canopy models, researchers can start to understand the expected biases in certain model configurations for their own simulations and have a hypothesis as to the potential errors and biases that might occur when using a multi-physics ensemble based modeling approach.

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“…Geometric and thermal parameters for the UCM have a significant effect on the transfer of energy and momentum between the urban surface and the atmosphere Wang et al 2011;Loridan and Grimmond 2012). The parameters used in this study are summarized in Table 1; most parameters are based on Kusaka et al (2001).…”

Section: Urban Surface Modelsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluation of the Weather Research and Forecast/Urban Model Over Greater Paris

Kim

Sartelet

Raut

et al. 2013

Boundary-Layer Meteorol

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Meteorological modelling in the planetary boundary layer (PBL) over Greater Paris is performed using the Weather Research and Forecast (WRF) numerical model. The simulated meteorological fields are evaluated by comparison with mean diurnal observational data or mean vertical profiles of temperature, wind speed, humidity and boundary-layer height from 6 to 27 May 2005. Different PBL schemes, which parametrize the atmospheric turbulence in the PBL using different turbulence closure schemes, may be used in the WRF model. The sensitivity of the results to four PBL schemes (two non-local closure schemes and two local closure schemes) is estimated. Uncertainties in the PBL schemes are compared to the influence of the urban canopy model (UCM) and the updated Coordination of Information on the Environment (CORINE) land-use data. Using the UCM and the CORINE land-use data produces more realistic modelled meteorological fields. The wind speed, which is overestimated in the simulations without the UCM, is improved below 1,000 m height. Furthermore, the modelled PBL heights during nighttime are strongly modified, with an increase that may be as high as 200 %. At night, the impact of changing the PBL scheme is lower than the impact of using the UCM and the CORINE land-use data.

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Multi‐site evaluation of an urban land‐surface model: intra‐urban heterogeneity, seasonality and parameter complexity requirements

Abstract: Citation: Loridan T, Grimmond CSB. 2012. Multi-site evaluation of an urban land-surface model: intra-urban heterogeneity, seasonality and parameter complexity requirements. Q.

Cited by 50 publications

References 44 publications

Using LCZ data to run an urban energy balance model

Using LCZ data to run an urban energy balance model

A comprehensive assessment of land surface-atmosphere interactions in a WRF/Urban modeling system for Indianapolis, IN

Evaluation of the Weather Research and Forecast/Urban Model Over Greater Paris

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