Simulation of urban dispersion using a fast response building resolving model coupled with WRF

Most building resolving dispersion modeling tools are unable to account for the complexities associated with meso and synoptic scale variability even though transport at these scales may dominate the velocity and scalar fields in and around cities. To account for these effects, we are developing a system to couple the mesoscale Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) community model with the Quick Urban and Industrial Complex (QUIC) Dispersion Modeling System. Because of QUIC's ability to explicitly represent buildings and vegetation, a WRF-QUIC system provides an excellent platform to study the impacts of larger-scale atmospheric circulations on urban dispersion. We will present our results of one way coupled WRF-QUIC dispersion computations for day and night tracer releases performed during the Joint Urban 2003 field campaign conducted in Oklahoma City (IOP2 and IOP8). The coupled WRF-QUIC results will be compared with dispersion computations run using the standard methodology of initializing QUIC using the best available data from JU2003. Comparisons with experimental data will be made using QUIC solutions for both concentration and wind fields.