Weather patterns in the cities and in the neighborhoods of cities depend on the degree of urbanization which is characterized by the changes in land surface characteristics, subsurface properties, chemical composition of the atmosphere and on larger scale meteorological conditions. Given the high proportion of people living in urban areas and the projected increase to urban population in the coming decades, and their dependence on infrastructure, their vulnerability to weather-related events like severe thunderstorms, extreme events, air pollution, and the rapid spread of disease would be significantly elevated in the years to come. To better prepare and respond to these events, the field of urban meteorology has grown with the advancements of urban land-surface models, urban/air-quality models and fine scale models (along with other scientific and technological advances) to improve forecasts and prediction for cities and surrounding metropolitan areas. Due to the improvement in the computational, modeling and observational capabilities the use for urban weather information and its value to decision makers have increased. Apart from these improvements, hydrological modeling systems have evolved significantly in recent decades and provide a methodology for assessing surface water hydrology and water balance changes for an array of surfaces. Another emerging area is, representation of urban processes in coastal regions where global, regional and local climates converge via local circulations and rapid urbanization.  Also, there is a growing need for developing tools that can help achieve the aspirations for sustainable urban systems. In the proposed session, we would like to invite research papers focusing on

Use of High-Resolution Building Data Sets in Urban Weather and Climate Models

Coupling of Atmospheric Models from Global Down to Urban Scales and their applications in coastal regions

Applications of Coastal-Urban Interactions/Coastal Storm Surge Inundation Modeling

Application of Weather and Climate Models for Urban Planning with specific attention to coastal regions

Innovative techniques combining physical and statistical models (including Data Assimilation and Probabilistic Forecasting Techniques) applied to the coastal urban regions

Tools for sustainable urban systems

For further information, please contact, 

Dr Mukul Tewari (mtewari@us.ibm.com)

Dr Prathap Ramamurthy (pramamurthy@ccny.cuny.edu)

Dr Dev Niyogi (niyogi@gmail.com)