Geoscientific Model Development | 2019
Model evaluation of high-resolution urban climate simulations: using the WRF/Noah LSM/SLUCM model (Version 3.7.1) as a case study
Abstract
Abstract. The veracity of urban climate simulation models should be\nsystematically evaluated to demonstrate the trustworthiness of these models\nagainst possible model uncertainties. However, existing studies paid\ninsufficient attention to model evaluation; most studies only provided\nsome simple comparison lines between modelled variables and their\ncorresponding observed ones on the temporal dimension. Challenges remain\nsince such simple comparisons cannot concretely prove that the simulation of urban climate behaviours is reliable. Studies without systematic model\nevaluations, being ambiguous or arbitrary to some extent, may lead to some\nseemingly new but scientifically misleading findings. To tackle these challenges, this article proposes a methodological framework for the model evaluation of high-resolution urban climate simulations and demonstrates its effectiveness with a case study in the area of Shenzhen and Hong Kong SAR, China. It is intended to (again) remind urban climate modellers of the necessity of conducting systematic model evaluations with urban-scale climatology modelling and reduce these ambiguous or arbitrary modelling\npractices.