Evaluation of a Photosynthesis-Based Canopy Resistance Formulation in the Noah Land-Surface Model

Accurately representing complex land-surface processes balancing complexity and realism remains one challenge that the weather modelling community is facing nowadays. In this study, a photosynthesis-based Gas-exchange Evapotranspiration Model (GEM) is integrated into the Noah land-surface model replacing the traditional Jarvis scheme for estimating the canopy resistance and transpiration. Using 18-month simulations from the High Resolution Land Data Assimilation System (HRLDAS), the impact of the photosynthesis-based approach on the simulated canopy resistance, surface heat fluxes, soil moisture, and soil temperature over different vegetation types is evaluated using data from the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) site, Oklahoma Mesonet, 2002 International H₂O Project (IHOP_2002), and three Ameriflux sites. Incorporation of GEM into Noah improves the surface energy fluxes as well as the associated diurnal cycle of soil moisture and soil temperature during both wet and dry periods. An analysis of midday, average canopy resistance shows similar day-to-day trends in the model fields as seen in observed patterns. Bias and standard deviation analyses for soil temperature and surface fluxes show that GEM responds somewhat better than the Jarvis scheme, mainly because the Jarvis approach relies on a parametrised minimum canopy resistance and meteorological variables such as air temperature and incident radiation. The analyses suggest that adding a photosynthesis-based transpiration scheme such as GEM improves the ability of the land-data assimilation system to simulate evaporation and transpiration under a range of soil and vegetation conditions.     

HNO3 deposition to a deciduous forest

The deposition velocity (V _d) of nitric acid vapor over a fully leafed deciduous forest was estimated using flux/gradient theory. HNO₃ deposition velocities ranged from 2.2 to 6.0cm/s with a mean V _don the order of 4.0cms^-1. Estimates of V _dfrom a detailed canopy turbulence model gave deposition velocities of similar magnitude. The model was used to investigate the sensitivity of V _dto the leaf boundary-layer resistance and leaf area index (LAI). Although modeled deposition velocities were found to be sensitive to the parameterization of the leaf boundary-layer resistance, they were less sensitive to the LAI. Modeled V _d's were found to peak at LAI = 7.     

Evaluate dry deposition velocity of the nitrogen oxides using Noah-MP physics ensemble simulations for the Dinghushan Forest,Southern China

There has been a rapid growth of reactive nitrogen (Nr) deposition over the world in the past decades. The Pearl River Delta region is one of the areas with high loading of nitrogen deposition. But there are still large uncertainties in the study of dry deposition because of its complex processes of physical chemistry and vegetation physiology. At present, the forest canopy parameterization scheme used in WRF-Chem model is a single-layer “big leaf” model, and the simulation of radiation transmission and energy balance in forest canopy is not detailed and accurate. Noah-MP land surface model (Noah-MP) is based on the Noah land surface model (Noah LSM) and has multiple parametric options to simulate the energy, momentum, and material interactions of the vegetation-soil-atmosphere system. Therefore, to investigate the improvement of the simulation results of WRF-Chem on the nitrogen deposition in forest area after coupled with Noah-MP model and to reduce the influence of meteorological simulation biases on the dry deposition velocity simulation, a dry deposition single-point model coupled by Noah- MP and the WRF-Chem dry deposition module (WDDM) was used to simulate the deposition velocity (V_d). The model was driven by the micro-meteorological observation of the Dinghushan Forest Ecosystem Location Station. And a series of numerical experiments were carried out to identify the key processes influencing the calculation of dry deposition velocity, and the effects of various surface physical and plant physiological processes on dry deposition were discussed. The model captured the observed V_d well, but still underestimated the V_d. The self-defect of Wesely scheme applied by WDDM, and the inaccuracy of built-in parameters in WDDM and input data for Noah-MP (e.g. LAI) were the key factors that cause the underestimation of V_d. Therefore, future work is needed to improve model mechanisms and parameterization.     

Characteristics of microscale evapotranspiration: a comparative analysis

Summary ?Evapotranspiration characteristics on the point-scale (several hundred square meters) and the local scale (several square kilometers) are analysed by comparing a deterministic and a statistical – deterministic surface energy balance model. The vegetation surface variability is represented by both the surface heterogeneity and inhomogeneity. Heterogeneity means the mosaic of wet (wif ≠ 0) and dry (1-wif) fractions of vegetation surface, while inhomogeneity addresses small scale variations of soil moisture content. The microscale characteristics of evapotranspiration are considered in terms of analysing evapotranspiration E _v versus soil moisture content θ, relative frequency distribution characteristics of E _v (θ) and the aggregation algorithms for its estimation. The analyses are performed for loam soil type under different atmospheric forcing conditions. The main result is as follows: For dry vegetation surface (wif = 0), the relationship between the aggregated (θ_agg) and the area-averaged (θ _m ) soil moisture content is nonlinear and depends on both the states of the surface and the atmospheric forcing conditions. In the study, we assumed that there are no advective effects and mesoscale circulation patterns induced by surface discontinuities. Based on this fact it seems unlikely to be able to construct an aggregation algorithm for calculating θ_agg without inclusion of the atmospheric forcing conditions. This means that it will be difficult to construct a simple formula for calculating area-averaged transpiration, if it is possible at all. Received May 3, 2001; revised May 31, 2002; accepted June 3, 2002     

Surface and atmospheric controls on the heating coefficient

Measurements of the surface radiation budgets for three surfaces—grass, soil and a cornfield—are used to evaluate the ‘heating coefficient’β, and its componentsβ _↑(=dL _↑/dR _n ) andβ _↓(=dL _↓/dR _n ). This resolution permits an analysis of the sensitivity of β to surface and atmospheric influences.β _↑ is shown, both theoretically and empirically, to be determined by surface properties. For grass and soil, the parameter functions as an index of surface desiccation.β _↓ values are large (even under clear conditions) and variable, accounting for part of the variance in β and the anomalously small and negative values reported in the literature.β _↓ values for cloudy conditions may be larger or smaller than those for clear skies. It is concluded that, unless a predictive procedure can be developed forβ _↓, the Monteith and Szeicz model is of limited use for the routine estimation of net radiation.     

An annual cycle of vegetation in a GCM. Part I: implementation and impact on evaporation

The sensitivity of evaporation to a prescribed vegetation annual cycle is examined globally in the Met Office Hadley Centre Unified Model (HadAM3) which incorporates the Met Office Surface Exchange Scheme (MOSES2) as the land surface scheme. A vegetation annual cycle for each plant functional type in each grid box is derived based on satellite estimates of Leaf Area Index (LAI) obtained from the nine-year International Satellite Land Surface Climatology Project II dataset. The prescribed model vegetation seasonality consists of annual cycles of a number of structural vegetation characteristics including LAI as well as canopy height, surface roughness, canopy water capacity, and canopy heat capacity, which themselves are based on empirical relationships with LAI. An annual cycle of surface albedo, which in the model is a function of soil albedo, surface soil moisture, and LAI, is also modelled and agrees reasonably with observed estimates of the surface albedo annual cycle. Two 25-year numerical experiments are completed and compared: the first with vegetation characteristics held at annual mean values, the second with prescribed realistic seasonally varying vegetation. Initial analysis uncovered an unrealistically weak relationship between evaporation and vegetation state that is primarily due to the insensitivity of evapotranspiration to LAI. This weak relationship is strengthened by the adjustment of two MOSES2 parameters that together improve the models LAI-surface conductance relationship by comparison with observed and theoretical estimates. The extinction coefficient for photosynthetically active radiation, k _par , is adjusted downwards from 0.5 to 0.3, thereby enhancing the LAI-canopy conductance relationship. A canopy shading extinction coefficient, k _sh , that controls what fraction of the soil surface beneath a canopy is directly exposed to the overlying atmosphere is increased from 0.5 to 1.0, which effectively reduces soil evaporation under a dense canopy. When the experiments are repeated with the adjusted parameters, the relationship between evaporation and vegetation state is strengthened and is more spatially consistent. At nearly all locations, the annual cycle of evaporation is enhanced in the seasonally varying vegetation experiment. Evaporation is stronger during the peak of the growing season and, in the tropics, reduced transpiration during the dry season when LAI is small leads to significantly lower total evaporation.     

A comparison of some aerodynamic resistance methods using measurements over cotton and grass from the 1991 California ozone deposition experiment

Measurements of dry, deposition velocities (V _d ) of O₃ (using the eddy correlation technique) made over a cotton field and senescent grass near Fresno California during July and August 1991 were used to test some dry deposition velocity models. Over the cotton field, the observed maximum daytimeV _d was about 0.8 cm s^–1 and the average nighttime value was about 0.2 cm s^–1. Over the grass, daytime values averaged about 0.2 cm s^–1 and nighttime values about 0.05 cm s^–1. Application of a site-specific model known as ADOM (Acid Deposition and Oxidant Model) over the cotton field generally overestimated the observations except for a few hours in the afternoon when the observations were underestimated The overestimation was attributed to inadequacies in the surface resistance formulation and the underestimation to uncertainties in the aerodynamic formulation. Unlike previous studies which focused on the role of surface resistance, we perform additional tests using a large variety of aerodynamic resistance formulae, in addition to those in ADOM, to determine their influence on the modelledV _d of O₃ over, cotton. Over grass, ADOM considerably overestimated the observations but showed improvement when other surface resistance formulations were applied.     

A NEW DRY DEPOSITION VELOCITY PATTERN AND ITS PRACTICAL APPLICATION IN HIGH RESOLUTION REGIONAL ACID DEPOSITION MODEL*

A new dry deposition velocity pattern (NDDVP) for the study of region-scale dry deposition processes is developed. The mean ratio between NDDVP and 1022 experimental data of dry deposition velocity V_d is 1.06±0.82. The result shows that NDDVP is well consistent with experimental data. Practical cases are forecasted by the high resolution regional acid deposition model (EM3) with both NDDVP and old V_d pattern. The maximum ratio between the central concentrations for SO₄^- can reach 2.4 only due to different V_d patterns. 3-D distributions of species concentrations and dry depositions forecasted by NDDVP are better than those by the old V_d pattern.     

Radiometrically determined skin temperature and scalar roughness to estimate surface heat flux. Part I: Parameterization of radiometric scalar roughness

A series of experiments carried out in a pasture field during a growing season, allowed a radiometric determination of the scalar roughness for sensible heatz _oh,r . The values ofz _oh,r are shown to vary over the range of 10^–1–10^–7m both diurnally and seasonally, and an existing theoretical model for the estimation of scalar roughness for sensible heat is found to be inappropriate for the precise estimation ofz _oh,r . To parameterizez _oh,r better, a multiple regression analysis was performed, with predictor candidates such as solar elevation, solar radiationR _s , leaf area index LAI, canopy height, the ratio of the solar radiation and the extraterrestrial radiationR _s /R _e , the ratio of the direct and the total solar radiationR _d /R _s , and the roughness Reynolds number among others. The best regression equation which usesR _s , LAI,R _s /R _e , andR _d /R _s is derived withr=0.75; with smaller numbers of predictors, values ofr tend to deteriorate gradually down tor=0.52 when only one predictor, LAI, was incorporated into the equation.     

Model-based estimates of water loss from “patches” of the understory mosaic of the Hartheim Scots pine plantation

Summary During the Hartheim Experiment (HartX) 1992 conducted in the Upper Rhine Valley, Germany, we estimated water vapor flux from the understory and the forest floor by several methods. At the vegetation patch level, direct estimates were made with small weighing lysimeters, and water loss was scaled-up to the stand level based on vegetation patchtype distribution. At the leaf level, transpiration flux was determined with a CO₂/H₂O porometer for the dominant understory plant species,Brachypodium pinnatum, Carex alba, andCarex flacca. Measured leaf transpiration was scaled-up to patch level with a canopy light interception and leaf gas exchange model, and then to stand level as in the case of lysimeter data, but with further consideration of patchtype leaf area index (LAI). On two days, total understory latent heat flux was estimated by eddy correlation methods below the tree canopy.The understory vegetation was subdivided into five major patch-types which covered 62% of the ground area and resulted in a cumulative LAI of approx. 1.54 when averaged over total stand ground area and compared to the average tree canopy LAI of 2.8. The remaining 38% of ground area was unvegetated bare soil and/or covered by moss (mainly byScleropodium purum) or litter. The evapotranspiration from the understory and unvegetated areas equaled approx. 20% of total forest stand transpiration during the HartX period. The understory vegetation transpired about 0.4 mm d^–1 (13%) estimated over the period of May 13 to 21, whereas evaporation from moss and soil patches amounted 0.23 mm d^–1 (7.0%). On dry, sunny days, total water vapor flux below the tree canopy exceeded 0.66 mm d^–1. Using the transpiration rates derived from the GAS-FLUX model together with estimates of evaporation from moss and soil areas and a modified application of the Penman-Monteith equation, the average daily maximum conductance of the understory and the forest floor was 1.7 mm s^–1 as compared to 5.5 mm s^–1 for the tree canopy.With 6 Figures     

Evaluation of a land-surface scheme at Cabauw

Summary We study the response of the land-surface to prescribed atmospheric forcing for 31 May 1978 at Cabauw, Netherlands, using the land-surface scheme from the Coupled Atmospheric boundary layer-Plant-Soil (CAPS) model. Results from model runs show realistic daytime surface fluxes are produced using a canopy conductance formulation derived from Cabauw data (for 1987, a different year), and un-tuned parameterizations of root density (near-uniform with depth) and soil heat flux (reduced thermal conductivity through vegetation). Sensitivity of model-calculated surface heat fluxes to initial values of soil moisture is also examined. Results of this study provide the land-surface base state for a coupled land–atmosphere modeling study.     

2003年淮河流域大水期间体积降水量的研究

针对 2 0 0 3年梅雨期淮河流域大水提出了体积降水量的概念及其计算方法 ,在计算出淮河流域和其各子流域逐日和总体积降水量的基础上 ,将体积降水量与水文站的水位和流量进行了对比分析。结果表明 :水位对累计体积降水量有较好的即时响应 ,流量对体积降水量有较好的延迟响应。另外 ,讨论了流域体积降水量的预报问题 ,用国内外数值天气预报产品和中央气象台指导预报产品 ,进行了流域体积降水量预报试验 ,并对预报结果进行了检验分析。结果表明 :在目前天气预报水平条件下 ,利用数值天气预报和中央气象台业务预报产品制作体积降水量是可行的 ,能够延长洪水预报的预见期 ;而且 ,数值天气预报产品在预报体积降水量方面有明显的优势 ,因此可以直接利用数值天气预报产品进行体积降水量的客观预报 ,为防汛工作提供重要的依据。     

Microwave vegetation optical depth and inverse modelling of soil emissivity using Nimbus/SMMR satellite observations

Summary A radiative transfer model has been used to determine the large scale effective 6.6 GHz and 37 GHz optical depths of the vegetation cover. Knowledge of the vegetation optical depth is important for satellite-based large scale soil moisture monitoring using microwave radiometry. The study is based on actual observed large scale surface soil moisture data and observed dual polarization 6.6 and 37 GHz Nimbus/SMMR brightness temperatures over a 3-year period. The derived optical depths have been compared with microwave polarization differences and polarization ratios in both frequencies and with Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) values from NOAA/AVHRR. A synergistic approach to derive surface soil emissivity from satellite observed brightness temperatures by inverse modelling is described. This approach improves the relationship between satellite derived surface emissivity and large scale top soil moisture fromR ²=0.45 (no correction for vegetation) toR ²=0.72 (after correction for vegetation). This study also confirms the relationship between the microwave-based MPDI and NDVI earlier described and explained in the literature.List of Symbols f frequency [Hz] - f _i(p) fractional absorption at polarizationp - h surface roughness - h h cos² - H horizontal polarization - n _i complex index of refraction - p polarization (H orV) - R _s microwave surface reflectivity - T _B(p) brightness temperature at polarizationp - T ^* normalized brightness temperature - T polarization difference (T _v-T _H) - T _s temperature of soil surface - T _c temperature of canopy - T _max daily maximum air temperature - T _min daily minimum air temperature - V vertical polarization - soil moisture distribution factor; also used for the constant to partition the influence of bound and free water components to the dielectric constant of the mixture - empirical complex constant related to soil texture - microwave transmissivity of vegetation (=e ^–) - ^* effective transmissivity of vegetation (assuming =0) - microwave emissivity - _s emissivity of smooth soil surface - _rs emissivity of rough soil surface - _vs emissivity of vegetated surface - soil moisture content (% vol.) - K dielectric constant [F·m^–1] - K _fw dielectric constant of free water [F·m^–1] - K _ss dielectric constant of soil solids [F·m^–1] - K _m dielectric constant of mixture [F·m^–1] - K _o permittivity of free space [8.854·10^–12 F·m^–1] - high frequency limit ofK _wf [F·m^–1] - wavelength [m] - incidence angle [degrees from nadir] - polarization ratio (T _H/T _V) - b soil bulk density [gr·cm^–3] - s soil particle density [gr·cm^–3] - R surface reflectivity in red portion of spectrum - NIR surface reflectivity in near infrared portion of spectrum - _eff effective conductivity of soil extract [mS·cm^–1] - vegetation optical depth - _6.6 vegetation optical depth at 6.6 GHz - ₃₇ vegetation optical depth at 37 GHz - ^* effective vegetation optical depth (assuming =0) - single scattering albedo of vegetation With 12 Figures     

Latent heat fluxes simulated with a non-hydrostatic weather forecast model using actual surface properties from measurements and remote sensing

In this study the influence of land-surface parameters on latent heat fluxes simulated with the numerical weather prediction model Lokalmodell (LM) of the German Meteorological Service is investigated. The area of interest is the LITFASS area during the LITFASS-2003 campaign. Based on simulations with varying soil and vegetation properties, we confirm that simulated latent heat fluxes strongly depend on soil moisture and leaf area index. Both parameters are difficult to obtain from in situ measurements with sufficient spatial resolution over heterogeneous land surfaces. Therefore, a procedure is proposed to determine area average values of soil moisture from time domain reflectometer measurements performed at a limited number of sites. The area averages cover the 7 × 7 km² grid cells of the LM around Lindenberg (south-east of Berlin). Furthermore, satellite inferred plant parameters from NOAA–AVHRR are used to initialise model runs; the derived vegetation parameters show notable differences with those in the standard input of LM. The latent heat fluxes from the LM are compared with the aggregated eddy-covariance-measurements, and while the operational LM shows a strong overestimation of latent heat fluxes, it is demonstrated that the application of land-surface parameters derived from measurements can significantly reduce the deviation between the simulated and measured latent heat fluxes.     

Relationship between Net Radiation and Broadband Solar Radiation in the Tibetan Plateau

The characteristics of net radiation (R_n)(0.3--10 μm) in Lhasa and Haibei in the Tibetan Plateau were analyzed based on long-term in-situ measurements of surface radiation data. The monthly average of daily R_n reached a minimum during the winter period followed by an increase until May and then a decline until January. This variation is consistent with solar activity. The annual mean daily total R_n values were 0.92 MJ m^-2 d^-1 and 0.66 MJ m^-2d^-1 in Lhasa and Haibei, respectively. A relationship between R_n and broadband solar radiation (R_s) was demonstrated by a good linear correlation at the two sites. R_n can be an accurate estimate from R_s. The estimated R_n values were similar to the observed values, and the relative deviations between the estimates and measurements of R_n were 2.8% and 3.8% in Lhasa and Haibei, respectively. The application of the R_n estimating model to other locations showed that it could provide acceptable estimated R_n values from the R_s data. Furthermore, we analyzed the influence of clouds on R_n by different clear index (K_s), defined as the ratio of R_s to the extraterrestrial solar irradiance on a horizontal surface. The results indicate that more accurate results are associated with increased cloudy conditions. The influence of the albedo was also considered, but its inclusion in the model resulted in only a slight improvement. Because surface albedo is not usually measured, an expression based solely on global solar radiation could be of more extensive use.     

Impact of Land Surface Heterogeneity on Mesoscale Atmospheric Dispersion

Prior numerical modelling studies show that atmospheric dispersion is sensitive to surface heterogeneities, but past studies do not consider the impact of a realistic distribution of surface heterogeneities on mesoscale atmospheric dispersion. While these focussed on dispersion in the convective boundary layer, the present work also considers dispersion in the nocturnal boundary layer and above. Using a Lagrangian particle dispersion model (LPDM) coupled to the Eulerian Regional Atmospheric Modeling System (RAMS), the impact of topographic, vegetation, and soil moisture heterogeneities on daytime and nighttime atmospheric dispersion is examined. In addition, the sensitivity to the use of Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS)-derived spatial distributions of vegetation characteristics on atmospheric dispersion is also studied. The impact of vegetation and terrain heterogeneities on atmospheric dispersion is strongly modulated by soil moisture, with the nature of dispersion switching from non-Gaussian to near-Gaussian behaviour for wetter soils (fraction of saturation soil moisture content exceeding 40%). For drier soil moisture conditions, vegetation heterogeneity produces differential heating and the formation of mesoscale circulation patterns that are primarily responsible for non-Gaussian dispersion patterns. Nighttime dispersion is very sensitive to topographic, vegetation, soil moisture, and soil type heterogeneity and is distinctly non-Gaussian for heterogeneous land-surface conditions. Sensitivity studies show that soil type and vegetation heterogeneities have the most dramatic impact on atmospheric dispersion. To provide more skilful dispersion calculations, we recommend the utilisation of satellite-derived vegetation characteristics coupled with data assimilation techniques that constrain soil-vegetation-atmosphere transfer (SVAT) models to generate realistic spatial distributions of surface energy fluxes.     

土壤数据集对全球陆面过程模拟的影响

基于通用陆面模式（Common Land Model, CoLM）,首次评估了两套最新的全球土壤数据集GSDE（Global Soil Dataset for Earth System Model）和SG（SoilGrids）对全球陆面过程模拟的影响。比较分析了两套数据中砂粒、粘粒、砾石、有机碳的含量和容重这五个土壤属性在全球分布上的差异以及这种差异造成的对模式估计的土壤特性参数、水力热力变量的影响。结果表明,土壤特性参数在全球的空间分布主要受土壤粒径分布（砂粒、粉粒和粘粒）影响,同时也受砾石、有机碳和容重的影响。土壤资料对全球模拟结果影响主要体现在区域差异,对水文学变量的影响（R_e最大达到±100%）大于对土壤热力学变量的影响（R_e<±10%）,对地表辐射变量的影响较小（R_e<±5%）。其中,土壤体积含水量在加拿大中部及西北部、俄罗斯东南部及中西部和澳大利亚中部地区模拟结果相差较大,总径流在低纬地区模拟结果出现较大的差异,热力学变量在非洲北部、加拿大西北部以及俄罗斯中北部的差异稍大。将模拟的土壤体积含水量与站点观测相比,两套数据的表现接近,与站点观测相比都存在一定的偏差,但SG更接近观测,其中在Molly Caren站点（39°57′N,83°27′W）上SG相比GSDE整体提高约0.01～0.02。本研究表明,模式模拟结果受不同土壤数据集的影响显著,可优先考虑诸如SG较准确的土壤数据。土壤属性对陆面模拟的影响需进一步研究。     

Potential future changes in water limitations of the terrestrial biosphere

This study explores the effects of atmospheric CO₂ enrichment and climate change on soil moisture (W _r ) and biome-level water limitation (L _TA), using a dynamic global vegetation and water balance model forced by five different scenarios of change in temperature, precipitation, radiation, and atmospheric CO₂ concentration, all based on the same IS92a emission scenario. L _TA is defined as an index that quantifies the degree to which transpiration and photosynthesis are co-limited by soil water shortage (high values indicate low water limitation). Soil moisture decreases in many regions by 2071–2100 compared to 1961–1990, though the regional pattern of change differs substantially among the scenarios due primarily to differences in GCM-specific precipitation changes. In terms of L _TA, ecosystems in northern temperate latitudes are at greatest risk of increasing water limitation, while in most other latitudes L _TA tends to increase (but again varies the regional pattern of change among the scenarios). The frequently opposite direction of change in W _r and L _TA suggests that decreases in W _r are not necessarily felt by actual vegetation, which is attributable mainly to the physiological vegetation response to elevated CO₂. Without this beneficial effect, the sign of change in L _TA would be reversed from predominantly positive to predominantly negative.     

Large-Eddy Simulation of Flow and Pollutant Transports in and Above Two-Dimensional Idealized Street Canyons

A large-eddy simulation (LES) model, using the one-equation subgrid-scale (SGS) parametrization, was developed to study the flow and pollutant transport in and above urban street canyons. Three identical two-dimensional (2D) street canyons of unity aspect ratio, each consisting of a ground-level area source of constant pollutant concentration, are evenly aligned in a cross-flow in the streamwise direction x. The flow falls into the skimming flow regime. A larger computational domain is adopted to accurately resolve the turbulence above roof level and its influence on the flow characteristics in the street canyons. The LES calculated statistics of wind and pollutant transports agree well with other field, laboratory and modelling results available in the literature. The maximum wind velocity standard deviations σ _i in the streamwise (σ _u ), spanwise (σ _v ) and vertical (σ _w ) directions are located near the roof-level windward corners. Moreover, a second σ _w peak is found at z ≈ 1.5h (h is the building height) over the street canyons. Normalizing σ _i by the local friction velocity u _*, it is found that σ _u /u _* ≈ 1.8, σ _v /u _* ≈ 1.3 and σ _w /u _* ≈ 1.25 exhibiting rather uniform values in the urban roughness sublayer. Quadrant analysis of the vertical momentum flux u′′w′′ shows that, while the inward and outward interactions are small, the sweeps and ejections dominate the momentum transport over the street canyons. In the x direction, the two-point correlations of velocity R _v,x and R _w,x drop to zero at a separation larger than h but R _u,x (= 0.2) persists even at a separation of half the domain size. Partitioning the convective transfer coefficient Ω _T of pollutant into its removal and re-entry components, an increasing pollutant re-entrainment from 26.3 to 43.3% in the x direction is revealed, suggesting the impact of background pollutant on the air quality in street canyons.     

Future changes in vegetation and ecosystem function of the Barents Region

The dynamic vegetation model (LPJ-GUESS) is used to project transient impacts of changes in climate on vegetation of the Barents Region. We incorporate additional plant functional types, i.e. shrubs and defined different types of open ground vegetation, to improve the representation of arctic vegetation in the global model. We use future climate projections as well as control climate data for 1981–2000 from a regional climate model (REMO) that assumes a development of atmospheric CO₂-concentration according to the B2-SRES scenario [IPCC, Climate Change 2001: The scientific basis. Contribution working group I to the Third assessment report of the IPCC. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge (2001)]. The model showed a generally good fit with observed data, both qualitatively when model outputs were compared to vegetation maps and quantitatively when compared with observations of biomass, NPP and LAI. The main discrepancy between the model output and observed vegetation is the overestimation of forest abundance for the northern parts of the Kola Peninsula that cannot be explained by climatic factors alone. Over the next hundred years, the model predicted an increase in boreal needle leaved evergreen forest, as extensions northwards and upwards in mountain areas, and as an increase in biomass, NPP and LAI. The model also projected that shade-intolerant broadleaved summergreen trees will be found further north and higher up in the mountain areas. Surprisingly, shrublands will decrease in extent as they are replaced by forest at their southern margins and restricted to areas high up in the mountains and to areas in northern Russia. Open ground vegetation will largely disappear in the Scandinavian mountains. Also counter-intuitively, tundra will increase in abundance due to the occupation of previously unvegetated areas in the northern part of the Barents Region. Spring greening will occur earlier and LAI will increase. Consequently, albedo will decrease both in summer and winter time, particularly in the Scandinavian mountains (by up to 18%). Although this positive feedback to climate could be offset to some extent by increased CO₂ drawdown from vegetation, increasing soil respiration results in NEE close to zero, so we cannot conclude to what extent or whether the Barents Region will become a source or a sink of CO₂.