Model evaluation of high-resolution urban climate simulations: using the WRF/Noah LSM/SLUCM model (Version 3.7.1) as a case study

Abstract

The veracity of urban climate simulation models should be systematically evaluated to demonstrate the trustworthiness of these models against possible model uncertainties. However, existing studies paid insufficient attention to model evaluation; most studies only provided some simple comparison lines between modelled variables and their corresponding observed ones on the temporal dimension. Challenges remain since such simple comparisons cannot concretely prove that the simulation of urban climate behaviours is reliable. Studies without systematic model evaluations, being ambiguous or arbitrary to some extent, may lead to some seemingly 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 practices.