Process-based evaluation of green roof models for assessment of heat mitigation efficacy in WRF (v4.3.1) and EnergyPlus (v8.6.0)

Martinez Mendoza, Maria; Saeedi, Alireza; Voogt, James A.; Krayenhoff, E. Scott

doi:10.5194/gmd-19-9729-2026

Articles | Volume 19, issue 19

https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-19-9729-2026

© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-19-9729-2026

© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Articles | Volume 19, issue 19

Model evaluation paper

|

12 Oct 2026

Model evaluation paper |

| 12 Oct 2026

Process-based evaluation of green roof models for assessment of heat mitigation efficacy in WRF (v4.3.1) and EnergyPlus (v8.6.0)

Maria Martinez Mendoza, Alireza Saeedi, James A. Voogt, and E. Scott Krayenhoff

Supplement

https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-19-9729-2026-supplement

Data sets

Stand-alone EcoRoof (ERo, ERm) and WRF-MLGR model codes and evaluation datasets for "Process-based evaluation of green roof models for assessment of heat mitigation efficacy in WRF (v4.3.1) and EnergyPlus (v8.6.0)" M. Martinez Mendoza et al. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18688590

Model code and software

Stand-alone EcoRoof (ERo, ERm) and WRF-MLGR model codes and evaluation datasets for "Process-based evaluation of green roof models for assessment of heat mitigation efficacy in WRF (v4.3.1) and EnergyPlus (v8.6.0) M. Martinez Mendoza et al. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18688590

Interactive computing environment

Stand-alone EcoRoof (ERo, ERm) and WRF-MLGR model codes and evaluation datasets for "Process-based evaluation of green roof models for assessment of heat mitigation efficacy in WRF (v4.3.1) and EnergyPlus (v8.6.0) M. Martinez Mendoza et al. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18688590

Short summary

Green roofs can help cool cities, but models must represent them accurately to quantify this potential. Yet few studies evaluate green roof models against real data. We evaluated two versions of EcoRoof, the green roof module in EnergyPlus, and a green roof option for WRF (Weather and Research Forecasting model) using measurements from London, Ontario. EcoRoof generally matched observed heat fluxes, surface temperature, and soil moisture, while WRF overestimated heat and underestimated cooling.