Impacts of land use on climate in the Taihu Basin based on WRF model

Abstract

The impacts of land use on the climate in the Taihu Basin were quantitatively simulated using the mesoscale climate model named Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model. Results showed that (1) cities with large or increasing areas of construction land had considerably higher temperature increases than other regions; (2) coastal cities to the east of the Taihu Basin, such as Shanghai, Suzhou, Jiaxing, and Taizhou had the highest wind speeds, while cities far from the coast to the west, such as Nanjing, Hangzhou, and Huzhou, experienced reduced wind speeds; The main wind direction over the Taihu Lake was southeast, with an increase in wind speed variation, but wind speeds decreased in 2019; (3) Areas near water or with large water areas had lower temperatures, while areas near forests or construction sites had higher temperatures. Although the area of construction land increased as cities developed, the increase in temperature was not significant; (4) As urbanization accelerated, temperature differences in some areas gradually decreased, and overall temperatures increased. As urban development reached a certain level, the impact of increased construction land on temperature gradually decreased, but the region exhibited an overall high temperature, leading to a reduction in the urban heat island effect.