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Inquiry About BEP/BEM Urban Scheme Parameters in WRF Model

xiaozi

New member
Dear community members,

I am a novice researcher using the BEP/BEM urban scheme in the WRF model (v4.5.1) to study the climate impacts of urban underlying surfaces. I have two key questions regarding parameter configuration and would sincerely appreciate your insights.

Background
My focus is on two critical parameters:

FRC_URB2D (urban fraction)
URB_PARAM

Core Questions

Parameter Relationship
Does FRC_URB2D influence how URB_PARAM is applied in practice? For example:
Is URB_PARAM scaled by FRC_URB2D (e.g., URB_PARAM × FRC_URB2D)?

Parameter Reading Logic
Based on my preliminary understanding of the code logic, the workflow might be:
The model first identifies urban grid cells via IVGTYP (vegetation type).
For urban grids, FRC_URB2D is read to determine the urban coverage.
URB_PARAM is then read as the urban parameter set.

Questions:
Is this workflow accurate?
Is the final parameter value calculated as URB_PARAM × FRC_URB2D?
Requests for Assistance

If official documentation or published studies clarify the mathematical relationship between these parameters, please share.
If you have practical experience (e.g., sensitivity tests) with these parameters, your insights would be invaluable.
 
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