Application of a sensor network to study the energy budget in urban canopies

We adapt a physically-based single-layer urban canopy model (UCM) to study the energy budget in urban areas. The energy budget scheme in this study is similar to the scheme implemented in the WRF-NOAH urban canopy model, but it is decoupled from the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model. Simulations are carried out to quantify the sensitivity of the model to each atmospheric and surface parameter input. To validate and provide accurate inputs to this UCM, several sensing systems are being deployed over the Princeton campus through the Sensor Network Over Princeton (SNOP) project. When the deployment is complete, the measured field data will include: (1) surface and air temperatures, longwave and shortwave radiation, soil moisture and soil heat flux using a wireless sensing network and two standard surface energy budget stations; (2) vertical profile of wind speed and temperature up to 1000 meters using a SODAR/RASS system; and (3) vertical shear stress and heat flux using a scintillometer. The collected data will be used to derive input parameters representative of the campus area, and to test the model predictions.