Towards understanding the urban surface energy budget
Abstract
The overarching goal of this proposal is to advance our current understanding of the urban surface energy budget. Knowledge of the surface energy budget is fundamental to understanding the meteorology and climatology of urban areas as it determines the exchanges of energy, momentum and mass between the urban surface and the atmosphere aloft. However, our current knowledge of the urban surface energy budget is limited due to various methodological and theoretical constraints that arise as a result of the complex morphological characteristics of the urban environment. Traditional techniques commonly employed to observe and model the different components of the surface energy budget fail over urban areas. Here, we will use an integrated approach, coupling ground and satellite based observations with numerical modeling to comprehensively study the urban surface energy budget. This will be one of the first studies to couple satellite derived observations with ground based measurements at meteorologically relevant spatial and temporal scales. The primary objectives of the project are: 1) Advance our knowledge on spatial and temporal variability of urban storage heat flux by integrating remote sensing observation with ground based measurements, 2) Understand the synergistic relationship between the sensible heat flux and the storage heat flux over urban areas and 3) Understand the role played by different built materials in influencing the overall surface energy budget at both neighborhood and city scale. New York City will be used as a test bed here as it houses our observational platform and has variegated urban morphological characteristics; Phoenix, Arizona will be used as another test case for our modeling study. The outcomes can however be applied to any urbanized area. The proposed plan will address the glaring uncertainties in closing the urban surface energy budget. Overall the project will aid in developing efficient technologies for both civilian and military purposes. The project will lead to the development of new theoretical and modeling frameworks that will benefit several fields, including but not restricted to, energy efficiency, national security, human health and environmental sustainability. The knowledge gained here will have a direct impact on urban weather prediction and will bring urgent clarity to issues such as urban heat island effect and sustainable energy technologies. The project will lead to a better understanding of the turbulence processes over complex urban areas which impacts several army operations and weapon systems, as many of the battle grounds around the world are centered in urbanized zones. The research will improve weather prediction and advance current modeling capabilities that will impact critical decision making at strategic to soldier level. Moreover, the improvements to weather prediction at relevant spatial and temporal scales will be of profound value to ArmyÕs day-to-day operations.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Feb 14, 2019
- Source ID
- W911NF1810371
Entities
People
- Prathap Ramamurthy
Organizations
- Army Contracting Command
- City University of New York
- United States Army