Planetary boundary layer height by means of lidar and numerical simulations over New Delhi, India

In this work, the height of the planetary boundary layer (PBLH) is investigated over Gwal Pahari (Gual Pahari), New Delhi, for almost a year. To this end, ground-based measurements from a multiwavelength Raman lidar were used. The modified wavelet covariance transform (WCT) method was utilized for PBLH retrievals. Results were compared to data from Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observation (CALIPSO) and the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model. In order to examine the difficulties of PBLH detection from lidar, we analyzed three cases of PBLH diurnal evolution under different meteorological and aerosol load conditions. In the presence of multiple aerosol layers, the employed algorithm exhibited high efficiency (r=0.9) in the attribution of PBLH, whereas weak aerosol gradients induced high variability in the PBLH. A sensitivity analysis corroborated the stability of the utilized methodology. The comparison with CALIPSO observations yielded satisfying results (r=0.8), with CALIPSO slightly overestimating the PBLH. Due to the relatively warmer and drier winter and, correspondingly, colder and rainier pre-monsoon season, the seasonal PBLH cycle during the measurement period was slightly weaker than the cycle expected from long-term climate records.</p

The International Urban Energy Balance Models Comparison Project: First Results from Phase 1

A large number of urban surface energy balance models now exist with different assumptions about the important features of the surface and exchange processes that need to be incorporated. To date, no com- parison of these models has been conducted; in contrast, models for natural surfaces have been compared extensively as part of the Project for Intercomparison of Land-surface Parameterization Schemes. Here, the methods and first results from an extensive international comparison of 33 models are presented. The aim of the comparison overall is to understand the complexity required to model energy and water exchanges in urban areas. The degree of complexity included in the models is outlined and impacts on model performance are discussed. During the comparison there have been significant developments in the models with resulting improvements in performance (root-mean-square error falling by up to two-thirds). Evaluation is based on a dataset containing net all-wave radiation, sensible heat, and latent heat flux observations for an industrial area in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The aim of the comparison is twofold: to identify those modeling ap- proaches that minimize the errors in the simulated fluxes of the urban energy balance and to determine the degree of model complexity required for accurate simulations. There is evidence that some classes of models perform better for individual fluxes but no model performs best or worst for all fluxes. In general, the simpler models perform as well as the more complex models based on all statistical measures. Generally the schemes have best overall capability to model net all-wave radiation and least capability to model latent heat flux

Initial results from Phase 2 of the international urban energy balance model comparison

Urban land surface schemes have been developed to model the distinct features of the urban surface and the associated energy exchange processes. These models have been developed for a range of purposes and make different assumptions related to the inclusion and representation of the relevant processes. Here, the first results of Phase 2 from an international comparison project to evaluate 32 urban land surface schemes are presented. This is the first large-scale systematic evaluation of these models. In four stages, participants were given increasingly detailed information about an urban site for which urban fluxes were directly observed. At each stage, each group returned their models' calculated surface energy balance fluxes. Wide variations are evident in the performance of the models for individual fluxes. No individual model performs best for all fluxes. Providing additional information about the surface generally results in better performance. However, there is clear evidence that poor choice of parameter values can cause a large drop in performance for models that otherwise perform well. As many models do not perform well across all fluxes, there is need for caution in their application, and users should be aware of the implications for applications and decision making

The Vlochos Archaeological Project: Report on the 2016– 2018 seasons of Greek-Swedish archaeological work at Vlochos, Thessaly

The Vlochos Archaeological Project (2016–2018) was a Greek-Swedish archaeological investigation of the remains of the ancient urban site at Vlochos in western Thessaly, Greece. Employing a wide array of noninvasive methods, the project succeeded in completely mapping the visible remains, which had previously not been systematically investigated. The extensive remains of multi-period urban fortifications, a ClassicalHellenistic city, a Roman town, and a Late Antique fortress were identified, evidence of the long history of habitation on this site. Since comparatively little fieldwork has been conducted in the region, the results significantly increase our knowledge of the history and archaeology of Thessaly

The influence of the City of Athens on the evolution of the sea-breeze front

In the present study, we examine the dynamics of a sea-breeze front and the urban heat island interacting with the heavily urbanized city of Athens. For this reason, simulations were performed with a modified version of the PSU/NCAR Mesoscale Model (MM5), whereby urban features are considered, and the model results were compared with surface routine meteorological data. An unrealistic run was also performed, where the city of Athens was replaced by dry cropland and pasture surface, as in the surrounding area. A delay in the sea-breeze front was found during daytime, together with frictional retardation concerning its penetration, as well as inland displacement of the heat island as the air moved over the city of Athens. During nighttime, the wind speed increased over the lower atmosphere in the city centre due to the enhanced urban heat island. © Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2008

An urban &quot;green planning&quot; approach utilizing the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) modeling system. A case study of Athens, Greece

The ameliorating thermal effect induced by green areas inside the warm urban microclimate of densely populated cities can improve the thermal comfort, as well as the overall health and living conditions of their inhabitants. In this modeling study, an effort is made to predict the impact of urban green solutions inside the high density and diverse urban landscape of the coastal city of Athens, Greece. The Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model, coupled to a single layer urban canopy model, is utilized to carry out high resolution (0.5km) land use scenarios, focusing on proposed urban parks (sized 8 and 4km 2), which substitute a mainly industrial/commercial area (Eleonas) near the city&apos;s center. Results during nighttime of a typical warm-period day, depict a large cooling (on average greater than 5°C) over the park&apos;s vegetated surface compared to current conditions, and a park cool island effect of 9.5°C when comparing park and surrounding urban fabric air temperatures. Additionally, a significant cooling of the neighboring built-up areas is indicated at a radius proportional to the park&apos;s dimensions, related to the nocturnal advection of cool air beyond its borders (park breeze). During daytime, although no significant temperature changes over the park are simulated, a cooling (up to 1°C) downwind its northern borders and over the inner city is predicted. This finding is related to the smaller frictional elements of the altered land cover located upon the axis of the seabreeze flow, which enhances the local sea-breeze circulation and its inland extent. © 2012 Elsevier B.V

Simulation of the effects of criticals factors on ozone formation and accumulation in the greater Athens area

In the present study, the temporal and spatial dynamics of the ozone production in the greater Athens area (GAA) is examined by using the photochemical UAM-V model coupled with the meteorological MM5 midel. Several numerical experiments were performed in order to investigate and to quantify the effect of critical factors that conduce to the ozone formation and accumulation during ozone episodes. The initial scenario is able to reproduce the observed ozone patterns, but it underestimates the observed peaks in most of the downwind suburban stations. Using process analysis, we demonstrate the contribution of chemical and physical processes to ozone formation and destruction. The inclusion of biogenic emissions and their distribution based on a satellite vegetation index, as well as the adjustment of the speciation of the anthropogenic NMVOC emissions according to specific characteristics measured in street and aged city plumes, lead to a more realistic description of the urban mixture and thus of the ozone production. The effect of the urban sector introduced via a simplified urbanized meteorological data set, provoke a differentiation of the spatial pattern attributed to the accumulation of the primary NOX pollutants inside the city center and to the consequent limited horizontal advection toward the peripheral zone. Finally, the ozone background turned out to be a key factor for the model performance. The statistical evaluation of the results reveals the importance and the necessity of implementing all the above modifications; the persistence of some discrepancies is associated with meteorological or modeling coupling limitations. Copyright 2007 by the American Geophysical Union

Planetary boundary layer height by means of lidar and numerical simulations over New Delhi, India

In this work, the height of the planetary boundary layer (PBLH) is investigated over Gwal Pahari (Gual Pahari), New Delhi, for almost a year. To this end, ground-based measurements from a multiwavelength Raman lidar were used. The modified wavelet covariance transform (WCT) method was utilized for PBLH retrievals. Results were compared to data from Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observation (CALIPSO) and the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model. In order to examine the difficulties of PBLH detection from lidar, we analyzed three cases of PBLH diurnal evolution under different meteorological and aerosol load conditions. In the presence of multiple aerosol layers, the employed algorithm exhibited high efficiency (&lt;span classCombining double low line&quot;inline-formula&quot;&gt;&lt;i&gt;r&lt;/i&gt;Combining double low line0.9&lt;/span&gt;) in the attribution of PBLH, whereas weak aerosol gradients induced high variability in the PBLH. A sensitivity analysis corroborated the stability of the utilized methodology. The comparison with CALIPSO observations yielded satisfying results (&lt;span classCombining double low line&quot;inline-formula&quot;&gt;&lt;i&gt;r&lt;/i&gt;Combining double low line0.8&lt;/span&gt;), with CALIPSO slightly overestimating the PBLH. Due to the relatively warmer and drier winter and, correspondingly, colder and rainier pre-monsoon season, the seasonal PBLH cycle during the measurement period was slightly weaker than the cycle expected from long-term climate records. © Author(s) 2019. This work is distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License