WRF simulations of 2017 Europe Heatwave

The WRF model (version 4.1.4) domain was configured with a 9 km grid spacing (547x462 grid cells) with 51 vertical levels covering Europe. National Centers provide the initial and boundary conditions for Environmental Prediction Final Operational Model Global Tropospheric Analyses (NCEP FNL) data, which is available at a 6-hourly and 1-degree temporal and spatial resolution, respectively. The simulations started on 2017-06-08 at 00:00 UTC and ended on 2017-06-25 at 00:00 UTC and with 3-hour steps. The following parameterization schemes were used: the Rapid Radiative Transfer model scheme for longwave radiation, Goddard shortwave scheme, Bougeault-Lacarrère for the planetary boundary layer, WRF single moment 6-class scheme as microphysics, Kain-Fritsch as cumulus scheme, and multi-layer Building Energy Parameterization (BEP) as the urban scheme. The simulations are performed using two LSMs, i.e., Noah and Noah-MP. For the LULC, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) data is used in two ways: i) the default MODIS LULC which has one urban class `Urban and Built-up Lands'; and ii) the MODIS LULC product in which its original urban land cover is replaced by the 10 urban LCZ classes, available from the European LCZ map at 100 m spatial resolution (hereafter denoted as WUDAPT LULC).

The data format is NetCDF containing detailed metadata. Two-dimensional variables are included, horizontal wind components at 10 m AGL, atmospheric pressure at the surface, water vapor mixing ratio at 2 m AGL, the temperature at 2 m AGL, land use/ land cover, sensible heat flux, latent heat flux, and ground heat flux, the height of the terrain, and land mask.

These WRF simulations are used to analyze the results of the "Modelling Large-Scale Heatwave by Incorporating Enhanced Urban Representation" manuscript submitted to JGR-Atmospheres.