ACINN Graduate Seminar - WS 2024/25

2024-10-23 at 12:00 (on-line & on-site)

Urban surface-atmosphere exchanges: scintillometry observations and NWP evaluation

Beth Saunders

ACINN, University of Innsbruck, Austria

 

The spatial and temporal scale of large aperture scintillometry (LAS) observations are closer to current operational numerical weather prediction (NWP) models cf. other observation types, with source area extents comparable to O(1 km) NWP grid-boxes. Despite this, there is a lack of previous studies using LAS-derived sensible heat fluxes for NWP evaluation. Here, we introduce a methodology for using LAS to perform the first NWP evaluation over an urban area focusing on the densely built-up city centre of London. NWP at both O(1 km) and O(100 m) horizontal resolutions are considered. In the former turbulence is parameterised, whereas in the latter turbulence is partially resolved. To ensure variables are spatially and temporally comparable, horizontal and vertical resolution characteristics of both datasets need to be considered. A new methodology for determining the probable LAS source area is defined. At higher resolutions, LAS source areas can inform the choice in area over which the explicit component of the modelled flux is calculated. LAS observations can provide novel and underutilized insights to model evaluation studies, with increasing utility at higher model resolution.
 

 

 

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