WRF Surface Layer Representation from MODIS and CORINE Land Use Datasets in SE Iberian Peninsula

Abstract

Land use representation influences numerical weather models, particularly near the surface, where exchanges of heat and momentum are strongly influenced by terrain parameters. This study focuses on evaluating how different land use datasets—MODIS (MLU) and CORINE (CLC)—affect surface layer representation in the WRF model through its physical schemes and parameterizations. High-resolution simulations were performed over the southeastern Iberian Peninsula, comparing key near-surface variables: land surface temperature, 2-meter air temperature, and 10-meter air wind speed. Model outputs were validated against satellite products and in-situ station observations. Results show that land use determines surface energy fluxes, with CLC generally offering a more realistic representation and better agreement with observations. During daytime 2-meter air temperature seems to be highly influenced by changes in sensible and latent heat fluxes partitioning, while land surface temperature has a greater impact during nighttime