Abstract
The effects of urbanization on the local climate in Kanto in August 2006 were analyzed, focusing on the statistical analysis of the warmest days of this period in Tokyo. By utilizing the Weather Research and Forecasting mesoscale model (WRF), there were 8 events of sultry nights found in the simulation, when the temperature did not decrease below 25°C from late afternoon to the next morning in the WRF default; however, the number of events increased to 11 with the incorporation of anthropogenic energy (AE) and to 14 using the urban canopy model (UCM). The incorporation of AE and UCM augmented the ensemble air temperature by 0.5°C and 0.9°C, respectively, during the analysis period. Simultaneously, AE and UCM improved the accuracy of nighttime predictions, although these parameterizations tended to overestimate the real temperatures in the afternoon by up to 0.9°C. Moreover, urban parameterizations may greatly divert the wind direction, which may subsequently diminish the mixing ratio and enhance the air temperature.
