Geo-referenced databases for roughness parameters in urban areas: An application to Greater Manchester

The parameterization of surface roughness characteristics is an essential element in models of atmospheric boundary processes. Key elements in deriving these characteristics involve analysis of comprehensive data bases of urban morphology. In this paper a procedure is described and tested for a part of Greater Manchester in northwest England, a complex urban area quite different from North American cities. The results are compared with previously published work. Although some differences are identified, the results of the analyses are generally consistent.