FUMAPEX Experience of Model Urbanisation

Abstract

The increased resolution of numerical weather prediction models allows us to address more specifically, urban meteorology and air pollution processes and forecasts. This has triggered new interests in modelling the specific features and processes of urban areas. Recent developments and results performed within the EU-funded project FUMAPEX on integrated systems for forecasting urban meteorology and air pollution are reported. Several approaches, including the effective roughness and flux modifications, source and sink terms in the momentum, energy and turbulent kinetic energy equations due building effects, urban soil models, etc., are considered as applied to different meteorological models. Issues of optimum resolution, parameterisation of the urban roughness sublayer, surface exchange fluxes and the role of the urban soil layers are addressed with advanced meso- or sub-meso meteorological and numerical weather prediction models. Recommendations, especially with respect to advanced urban air quality forecasting and information systems are given, together with an assessment of the further research required.