Urban meteorological modeling using WRF: A sensitivity study

Comparisons of temperature and wind simulations with station observations and Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer satellite data in the CMA showed that uWRF, with appropriate selection of urban parameter values, was able to reproduce the measured near-surface temperature and wind speeds reasonably well. In particular, the model was able to capture the observed spatial variation of 2-m near-surface temperatures at night, when the UHI effect was pronounced.

Results showed that inclusion of sub-grid scale variability of land-use and initializing models with more accurate land surface data can yield improved simulations of near-surface temperatures and wind speeds, particularly in the context of simulating the extent and spatial heterogeneity of UHI effects.