Exploration of improvement schemes for simulating LST in Beijing, China over multiple years based on LCZ

Abstract

In response to the intensification of the urban heat island (UHI) effect caused by the rapid development of global cities in recent years, this study coupled the Urban Canopy Model (UCM) of the Weather Forecast and Research (WRF) model with the Local Climate Zone (LCZ), and developed various different schemes to simulate the land surface temperatures (LST) of Beijing in 2014, 2017, and 2020, to explore the impact of different levels of urban development on the improvement of LST simulation by LCZ, revealing the evolution of the heat island effect. By comparing the observation data from meteorological stations with the default underlying surface, it can be concluded that the improvement effect of LCZ on simulation increases with the growth of years under clear weather conditions, and modifying the building parameters within LCZ offers a more pragmatic approach compared to alterations in the physical parameters. In addition, for the enhancement of the UHI in recent years, LCZ can provide more precise division on both spatial and temporal dimensions, effectively capturing the distribution and changes of urban thermal environment.