Details of Award
NERC Reference : NE/K007327/1
The role of surface moisture exchange in urban climate: Modelling surface exchange of water in the Met Office/Reading Urban Surface-Exchange Scheme
Training Grant Award
- Lead Supervisor:
- Professor PA Clark, University of Reading, Meteorology
- Grant held at:
- University of Reading, Meteorology
- Science Area:
- Atmospheric
- Freshwater
- Overall Classification:
- Atmospheric
- ENRIs:
- Environmental Risks and Hazards
- Global Change
- Pollution and Waste
- Science Topics:
- None
- Abstract:
- Urban areas have a major impact on local climate and modify the local and down-stream air quality through impacts on mixing and chemistry. The most direct and noticeable climate modification is the so-called urban heat island (UHI), which can have a major impact on human comfort and health. Coupled with increasing temperatures due to climate change and the growth of cities, the UHI means that some of the largest future changes in temperature are likely to occur in cities. The underlying causes of the UHI are now well understood. However, recent model intercomparisons have shown that poor understanding and representation of the moisture (and hence latent-heat) budget has a major impact on accuracy of the urban surface energy balance. The Met Office/Reading Urban Surface-Exchange Scheme (MORUSES), now implemented within the JULES land surface scheme, is a state-of-the art scheme using the effective surface approach to the surface exchange problem. It's development focused particularly on the thermal budget with a view to incorporating a minimal set of prognostic variables capable of capturing the important characteristics of the urban heat island, using parameters which could be related to measurable urban morphology and materials. However, in it's development, urban surfaces were assumed to be largely well drained, with only residual surface water contributing to the surface energy budget. This project will seek to extend MORUSES to incorporate anthropogenic moisture from vehicles, buildings and people and some aspects of urban vegetation, in particular, urban and sub-urban gardens, street-level trees and 'green roof' technologies, in a physically sound and consistent way. The main focus will be on adapting the JULES plant physiology models for urban vegetation and estimating street or roof-level exchange coefficients using existing wind-tunnel and field data. Model developments will be applied to the London area and compared with available data from field measurements (ACTUAL, Clearflo), as well as being compared with results from the recent urban intercomparison project.
- NERC Reference:
- NE/K007327/1
- Grant Stage:
- Completed
- Scheme:
- DTG - directed
- Grant Status:
- Closed
- Programme:
- Open CASE
This training grant award has a total value of £75,868
FDAB - Financial Details (Award breakdown by headings)
| Total - DSA | Total - Fees | Total - RTSG | Total - Student Stipend |
|---|---|---|---|
| £7,197 | £13,979 | £5,499 | £49,194 |
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