WRF Simulation Dataset for Assessing the Effects of Urban Building-Height Changes in the Yangtze River Delta (7–12 July 2020)

This dataset contains simulations generated using the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model version 4.6.0 for the Yangtze River Delta (YRD), China, covering 7-12 July 2020 (UTC). The simulations were performed using three one-way nested domains with horizontal resolutions of 27, 9, and 1 km. The released dataset includes hourly outputs from the innermost 1-km domain, covering Nanjing, Shanghai, Suzhou, and surrounding urban areas. The model employed the WSM6 microphysics scheme, Dudhia shortwave radiation scheme, RRTM longwave radiation scheme, Mellor–Yamada–Janjić planetary boundary layer scheme coupled with the Eta surface-layer scheme, Noah land-surface model, and the multilayer Building Effect Parameterization coupled with the Building Energy Model (BEP+BEM). No cumulus parameterization was used. Two controlled experiments are included: BH2010, using the 2010 urban building-height dataset, and BH2020, using the 2020 building-height dataset. Both experiments used the 2020 MODIS land-use dataset and identical meteorological forcing, physical parameterizations, and model configurations, differing only in the prescribed urban building height. Consequently, differences between the simulations quantify the effects of building-height changes on the urban thermal and dynamical environment. The analysis period was selected because prevailing wind directions remained nearly consistent across the study region, minimizing the influence of regional circulation differences.