Meteorological characterization of forcing and urban response for climate model assessment
Research on "Urban Climate Under Change" - the weather stations of Hamburg
The Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) has been supporting the joint project "Three-Dimensional Observation of Atmospheric Processes in Cities" (3DO) as part of the programme Urban Climate Under Change [UC]² since June 2016. Here, a multitude of atmospheric datasets are collected in three major German cities (Berlin, Hamburg, Stuttgart). In particular, long-term observations should provide valuable measurement data that not only enables the validation of climate models, but also can be used directly for applications urban planning and air quality control.
Within the subproject: "Meteorological characterization of forcing and urban response for climate model assessment" long-term measurements as well as intensive measurement campaigns are carried out. With these measurements in Hamburg, a contribution is made to close the existing knowledge gap on the spatial and temporal variability of meteorological variables in urban areas in relation to the outer and lower boundary conditions. Focusing on wind, humidity and air temperature, atmospheric conditions on the outskirts of the city as well as the local internal urban effect are observed for this purpose (see figure). This ensures that the meteorological characteristics of the city as a whole are quantified. Especially the city of Hamburg is particularly suitable for the acquisition of these core parameters, since steady winds prevail here and large parts of inner city feature water surfaces and high-ranking groundwater.
The concept is based on the data of the weather stations from HUSCONET, as well as the Hamburg weather mast and the precipitation radar of the Meteorological Institute. These components of the monitoring network have been in operation for years and provide information about the weather and climate modifications in the city. They are supplemented by new profile measurements on the outskirts of town and in intensive measurement campaigns within the city. In particular, time scales, on which the urban climate is perceived by residents will be in the focus of the data analysis: days (heat waves), hours (daily cycles) and minutes (urban ventilation and wind comfort).
Real time measurement data and further information can be found at wetterstationen.uni-hamburg.de
- Duration: 2016-06 - now
- Project lead: Prof. Dr. Felix Ament
- Sponsor: BMBF