Landscape changes over a region in east Germany and their impact upon the processes of its atmospheric water-cycle

Abstract

Simulations replicating urbanization and/or different landscapes following the cessation of open-pit mining were performed with a non-hydrostatic meso-β-scale model. Except for cloud and precipitating particles the daily domain averages of the variables of state hardly differ under calm wind conditions. Nevertheless, the ‘single land-use changes’ which are associated with urbanization, open-pit mines or the flooding of open-pit mines may appreciably or even significantly affect the local processes of the atmospheric water-cycle over and downwind of the land-use changes. Of the three, urbanization affects the local weather the least significantly, and flooding the open-pit mines causes the most significant changes. Generally, the most significant differences (at 90% or better statistical-significance level) occur for the liquid- and solid-water substances, the soil-wetness-factors, and the vertical component of the wind-vectors. The last changes strongly influence the paths of cloud and precipitation formation by the interaction ofcloud-microphysics-dynamics. In contrast to all other quantities for which a land-use change causes significant differences, the differences between cloud and precipitating particles are often not reflected in the environs of the landuse change.