Grass · albedo · SUEWS parameter database

browse · records/surfaces/grass/se-england--ward2016--albedo.yml

Grass · albedograss evidence record

alb_min0.18

alb_max0.21

albedo grass se-england site Land-cover class Ward 2016

Parameters

Names follow the SUEWS YAML specification; click one for its definition in the configuration reference.

Labelled fields override the record-level citation or scope; unlabelled fields use the record metadata.

`alb_min`	0.18
`alb_max`	0.21 Järvi 2011

Provenance evidence

Awaiting sign-off

Fitted · assessed by provenance-audit · 2026-09-02. Agent assessment is evidence preparation, not human verification.

Surface Urban Energy and Water Balance Scheme (SUEWS): Development and evaluation at two UK sitesParameter source

Applies to: parameters.alb_min

Where: Table 2, adjusted albedo and emissivity model inputs, p. 8

Publishes the stored surface values used at the London and Swindon sites; emissivities are explicitly carried forward from Järvi et al. (2011).

Where: Section 4.2.2, Outgoing shortwave radiation, p. 7

Explains that seasonal grass albedo was introduced and that the adjusted albedos improve agreement with outgoing-shortwave observations at the two sites.

The Surface Urban Energy and Water Balance Scheme (SUEWS): Evaluation in Los Angeles and Vancouver.Parameter source

Applies to: parameters.alb_max

Where: Table 2(a), grass columns, albedo row, p. 223

Publishes grass albedo 0.21, the unchanged maximum retained by Ward et al. and by this record.

Assessment findings

Name	supported The label identifies the published parameter class or model configuration.
Target	supported The source uses the parameter for the same SUEWS target represented by the record.
Values	supported Ward et al. Table 2 publishes adjusted grass albedo 0.18-0.21 for leaf-off and leaf-on periods, exactly matching the stored minimum and maximum. Ward introduces the minimum; the maximum remains the exact Järvi et al. (2011) literature value.
Source	supported Ward et al. directly publish and evaluate the adjusted minimum used at the two UK sites; the per-leaf override retains Järvi et al. (2011) as the exact source of the unchanged maximum.
Place	supported The fitted minimum retains the shared se-england application geography containing London and Swindon. The unchanged literature maximum is generic under its per-leaf override.
Representativeness	supported The adjusted minimum is evaluated against local radiometer observations at two neighbourhood-scale sites, so site is its supported reach. The unchanged literature maximum is generic.
Applicable Scale	supported Both publications assign the values to the grass land-cover class, so land_cover is the supported application scale for both leaves.
Method	supported Ward et al. introduce seasonal grass albedo and evaluate the adjusted minimum against local outgoing-shortwave observations, so the envelope method is fitted. The unchanged maximum has a per-leaf literature override.
Identity	supported Stable path, target, source and values identify one retained database record.

Scientific note

Ward et al. introduce a seasonal grass minimum of 0.18 and evaluate the adjusted albedo against local radiometer data, so alb_min is fitted evidence with site reach. The maximum remains the exact Järvi et al. (2011) literature value 0.21, recorded through per-leaf provenance with generic reach. The stable path, values, target, origin and legacy identity do not change.

Model-ready fragment

Paste under land_cover.grass in a SUEWS YAML configuration; every value carries its citation.

alb_min:
  value: 0.18
  ref:
    ID: ward2016
    DOI: 10.1016/j.uclim.2016.05.001
    desc: se-england, site, land_cover
alb_max:
  value: 0.21
  ref:
    ID: jarvi2011
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jhydrol.2011.10.001
    desc: generic, generic, land_cover