Effects of horizontal resolution and updated surface data on simulated low-level winds for the aviation safety over Incheon International Airport

This study aimed to alleviate the overestimation of low-level wind speeds at Incheon International Airport in South Korea by employing large eddy simulation (LES) modeling and high-resolution surface data. Simulation and observation data from two days on which potentially hazardous weather conditions near the airport were observed were selected for analysis: 12 August 2020, when strong winds were recorded, and 13 July 2020, when precipitation occurred. To investigate the impact of the horizontal resolution of the model and updated land surface data on low-level wind simulations, this study compared the simulation results of 1 km experiments with both 30-s United States Geological Survey topography and land use data and high-resolution 3-s surface data, including Shuttle Radar Topography Mission digital elevation model topography data and land use data generated by the Korean Ministry of Environment, and 100 m LES experiments with the high-resolution surface data. The observed 10-m wind speed and sonde data near the airport were used to evaluate the model results. Utilizing the updated high-resolution surface data in the 1 km model grid-spacing simulation led to a lower root mean square error and wind speed bias compared to the use of low-resolution surface data. The 100 m experiment incorporating LES modeling with the updated high-resolution surface data further improved the low-level wind simulation results compared to the 1 km experiment using the same high-resolution surface data. In addition to providing more accurate simulations of mean winds, turbulence variations over the airport and the nearby region are better resolved by using high-resolution LES modeling and combined with updated surface data, which are critical for ensuring aviation safety near the airport.