PALM-SLUrb v24.04: a single-layer urban canopy model for the PALM model system – model description and first evaluation

Karttunen, Sasu; Sühring, Matthias; O'Connor, Ewan; Järvi, Leena

doi:https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-18-5725-2025

Articles | Volume 18, issue 17

https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-18-5725-2025

© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-18-5725-2025

© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Articles | Volume 18, issue 17

Model description paper

|

05 Sep 2025

Model description paper |

| 05 Sep 2025

PALM-SLUrb v24.04: a single-layer urban canopy model for the PALM model system – model description and first evaluation

Sasu Karttunen, Matthias Sühring, Ewan O'Connor, and Leena Järvi

Data sets

Input and output data for the first PALM-SLUrb v24.04 evaluation Sasu Karttunen and Matthias Sühring https://doi.org/10.23729/f98cce89-a44c-425f-9b73-f591561ce70c

Model code and software

PALM model system 24.04 model code and documentation PALM Developers https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.14221084

Interactive computing environment

saskartt/slurb_evaluation: v1.0 Sasu Karttunen https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.14335750

Short summary

This paper presents PALM-SLUrb, a single-layer urban canopy model for the PALM model system, designed to simulate urban–atmosphere interactions without resolving flow around individual buildings. The model is described in detail and evaluated against grid-resolved urban canopy simulations, demonstrating its ability to model urban surfaces accurately. By bridging the gap between computational efficiency and physical detail, PALM-SLUrb broadens PALM's potential for urban climate research.