Evaluating the Urban Canopy Scheme TERRA_URB in the COSMO Model for Selected European Cities

The increase in built surfaces constitutes the main reason for formation of Urban Heat Island (UHI), that is a metropolitan area significantly warmer than its surrounding rural areas. urban heat islands and other urban-induced climate feedbacks may amplify stress flooding under change therefore to predict them correctly has become essential. Currently COSMO model, cities are represented by natural land with an increased surface roughness length reduced vegetation cover, but this approach unable reproduce UHI effect. By increasing model resolution, representation physical processes characterize local meteorology should be addressed, order better forecast temperature, moisture precipitation environments. Within Consortium bulk parameterization scheme (TERRA_URB or TU) been developed. It parametrizes effects buildings, streets man-made impervious on energy, moist momentum exchanges between atmosphere, additionally accounts anthropogenic flux as source from atmosphere. TU implements water-storage parameterization, Semi-empirical canopy parametrization (SURY) translates 3D into parameters. This paper presents evaluation results high-resolution simulations recent version selected European cities, namely Turin, Naples Moscow. key conclusion work reasonably reproduces effect improves air temperature forecasts all investigated areas, despite each city very different morphological characteristics. Our highlight potential benefits new turbulence skin-layer (for vegetation) performance. framework provides perspectives enhancing modelling, although further investigations improving parametrizations, calibration use more realistic parameters needed.