edu.ucar.opensky::articles:18134 UCAR/NCAR - Library OpenSky Support PO Box 3000 Boulder CO 80307-3000 opensky@ucar.edu http://opensky.ucar.edu/ homepage pointOfContact 2025-12-26T14:35:02.880309 ISO 19115-2 Geographic Information - Metadata - Part 2: Extensions for Imagery and Gridded Data ISO 19115-2:2009(E) https://n2t.org/ark:/85065/d75q4xn4 Parameterization of urban characteristics for global climate modeling 2010-09-02T00:00:00Z publication https://n2t.org/ark:/85065/d75q4xn4 https://doi.org/10.1080/00045608.2010.497328 Jackson, T. author Feddema, J. author Oleson, Keith W. author Bonan, Gordon B. author Bauer, J. author UCAR/NCAR - Library publisher To help understand potential effects of urbanization on climates of varying scales and effects of climate change on urban populations, urbanization must be included in global climate models (GCMs). To properly capture the spatial variability in urban areas, GCMs require global databases of urban extent and characteristics. This article describes methods and characteristics used to create a data set that can be utilized to simulate urban systems on a global scale within GCMs. The data set represents three main categories of urban properties: spatial extent, urban morphology, and thermal and radiative properties of building materials. Spatial extent of urban areas is derived from a population density data set and calibrated within thirty-three regions of similar physical and social characteristics. For each region, four classes of urbanization are identified and linked to a set of typical building morphology, thermal, and radiative characteristics. In addition, urban extent is simulated back in time to 1750 based on national historical population and urbanization trends. A sample set of simulations shows that the urban characteristics do change urban heat island outcomes. In general the simulations show greater urban heat islands with increasing latitude, in agreement with observations. [Supplemental material is available for this article. Go to the publisher's online edition of Annals of the Association of American Geographers for the following free supplemental resource: (1) a table of the Global Data Set of Urban and Building Properties © 2007-2009.] UCAR/NCAR - Library OpenSky Support PO Box 3000 Boulder CO 80307-3000 opensky@ucar.edu http://opensky.ucar.edu/ homepage pointOfContact PDF Text theme Resource Type 2016-01-01T00:00:00Z publication This is a preprint of an article submitted for consideration in the Annals of the Association of American Geographers 2010 copyright Association of American Geographers; Annals of the Association of American Geographers is available online at: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/raag20 None eng geoscientificInformation