Using NOAA AVHRR and SPOT VGT data to estimate surface parameters: application to a mesoscale meteorological model

The mesoscale numerical weather prediction model MM5, the 5th generation Pennsylvania State University/NCAR Mesoscale Model, uses a global land-use map to set the physical parameters on the surface characteristics to model the soil-atmosphere processes. These parameters are albedo, emissivity, thermal inertia, roughness length and soil moisture. A new estimation of soil parameters is done for the north-east of the Iberian Peninsula from an AVHRR data set of year 2000. The new values are introduced into MM5 via a new land-use map, the recent NATLAN 2000-CORINE land-use map, in order to incorporate the last decade land-cover changes. The model is tested with the original and the CORINE land-use map to evaluate the sensitivity to land-use changes and new physical soil parameters definition. Results show clear local differences in some meteorological variables as wind fields or updraft movements, but comparisons with ground measurements do not lead to a clear improvement in the model general performance.