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Determining Optimal Resolution for Urban Terrain Inputs to Microclimate Modeling
  • Melissa R. Allen-Dumas,
  • Levi Thomas Sweet,
  • Christa Brelsford
Melissa R. Allen-Dumas
Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Corresponding Author:[email protected]

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Levi Thomas Sweet
Oak Ridge National Laboratory
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Christa Brelsford
Oak Ridge National Laboratory
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Abstract

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As the numerical weather prediction community seeks deeper understanding of multi-scale interactions among the atmosphere, human systems and the overall earth system, more explicit representation of surface terrain in these models has become necessary. While a great body of work has examined the differences in error and uncertainty of simulations at various horizontal grid resolution, no studies have been performed that compare the results of running the models at the same horizontal grid resolution but with different resolutions of surface terrain. We examine the differences in meteorological output from the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model run at 270m horizontal resolution using 10m resolution urban terrain (morphology) inputs and 100m resolution inputs. We find that differences in urban terrain resolution may amplify or dampen the representation of shortwave absorption by low albedo concrete and asphalt and the re-radiation of this energy as heat to the neighborhood.