====== 2. AERSURFACE ======

===== 2.1. Introduction =====
In this section, we will cover **AERSURFACE**, a preprocessor for [[AERMET]] that assists in characterizing land surface parameters. It defines three key values:

  * **Surface roughness length (Zo)**
  * **Albedo (Alb)**
  * **Bowen ratio (Bo)**

^ Task             ^ Assist in obtaining values that characterize land use and land cover.             ^
^ Input Data       ^ Land cover, impervious surface percentage, and canopy percentage in GeoTIFF format. ^
^ Output Data      ^ Surface roughness length (Zo), albedo, and Bowen ratio — to be used in [[AERMET]].     ^

^ Parameter          ^ Definition                                                                  ^ Usage                                                                                             ^
| **Surface Roughness (Zo)** | A measure of terrain roughness — how much resistance the surface offers to wind flow due to obstacles like vegetation, buildings, and topography. | Defines the wind speed profile near the surface. Higher Zo generates more turbulence, which affects pollutant dispersion. |
| **Albedo (Alb)**        | The proportion of solar radiation reflected by the surface. Ranges from 0 (fully absorbed) to 1 (fully reflected). | Affects soil heating and, consequently, convective turbulence (rising warm air bubbles). |
| **Bowen Ratio (Bo)**   | The ratio between sensible heat (air heating) and latent heat (evaporation). It indicates whether heat is transferred more into the air or into evaporation. | Helps estimate surface heat flux, which is essential for calculating atmospheric stability (how well the air supports pollutant dispersion). |

===== 2.2. Download the Executable =====

First, download the ''AERSURFACE'' executable:

[[https://www.epa.gov/scram/air-quality-dispersion-modeling-related-model-support-programs#aersurface|AERSURFACE - EPA SCRAM]]

Download the appropriate file for your operating system and save it to:  
''..\AermodTutorial\AERSURFACE\''

In [[#Figure 1|Figure 1]] we can observe the download page.

== Figure 1 ==

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{{:siteaersurface.png |Figure 1 – AERSURFACE download}}

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**Figure 1:** Download the ''AERSURFACE'' executable according to its specifications in English.
</WRAP>
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===== 2.3 Obtaining Surface Data =====

Go to: [[https://www.mrlc.gov/viewer/|MRLC Viewer]].  
Close the pop-up window as shown in [[#Figure 2|Figure 2]].

== Figure 2 ==
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{{:aersurface.intro.png |Figure 2 – MRLC Viewer}}

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**Figure 2:** MRLC Viewer
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Enable only the **National Atlas States** and **ESRI World Imagery** layers. See [[#Figure 3|Figure 3]].

== Figure 3 ==
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{{:aersurface_marca.png?800 |Figure 3 – Selected map layers}}

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**Figure 3:** Enabling relevant layers for download.
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Use your mouse to pan and zoom to the USA, then locate the correct state. See [[#Figure 4|Figure 4]].

== Figure 4 ==
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{{:aersurfacezoom.png?800 |Figure 4 – Map zoom}}

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**Figure 4:** Zoom into the region of interest.
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Next, locate the point ''-88.9520 40.4471'' using the mouse coordinates. See [[#Figure 5|Figure 5]].

== Figure 5 ==
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{{:aersurfacelocalizeponto.png?800 |Figure 5 – Coordinate localization}}

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**Figure 5:** Pinpointing the central point of the area.
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Zoom in further as shown in [[#Figure 6|Figure 6]].

== Figure 6 ==
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{{:zoom.png?800 |Figure 6 – Detailed zoom}}

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**Figure 6:** Further zoom for selection accuracy.
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Click the icon shown, and using the left mouse button, select your area of interest by clicking the two corner points. See [[#Figure 7|Figure 7]] and [[#Figure 8|Figure 8]].

== Figure 7 ==
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{{:aersurfaceselecione.png?800 |Figure 7 – Area selection tool}}

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**Figure 7:** Activate the selection tool.
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== Figure 8 ==
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{{:aersurfacerea.png?800 |Figure 8 – Selected region}}

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**Figure 8:** Example of a selected urban and rural area.
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Check the boxes exactly as shown, and set **Select Years** to 2023. See [[#Figure 9|Figure 9]].

== Figure 9 ==
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{{:tool.png?800 |Figure 9 – Data configuration}}

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**Figure 9:** Configure the download options.
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Enter your email and click download. See [[#Figure 10|Figure 10]].

== Figure 10 ==
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{{:email.png?400 |Figure 10 – Email input}}

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**Figure 10:** Enter your email to receive the download link.
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Check your inbox for a message from ''no-reply@usgs.gov'' and click the download link. See [[#Figure 11|Figure 11]].

== Figure 11 ==
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{{:aersurfaceyouremail.png?800 |Figure 11 – Email with download link}}

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**Figure 11:** Email with the download link.
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Save the downloaded ZIP file to:  
''C:\Users\Cliente\Desktop\AermodTutorial\1.AERSURFACE''  
Then extract its contents.

===== 2.4 Preparing AERSURFACE Inputs =====

Rename the ''.tiff'' file to ''landcover.tiff''. See [[#Figure 12|Figure 12]].

== Figure 12 ==
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{{:renomeie.png |Figure 12 – Rename file}}

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**Figure 12:** Rename the TIFF to ''landcover.tiff''.
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Create a new text file named ''AERSURFACE.txt''. COMO MOSTRADO NO CODIGO ABAIXO:

<code>
CO STARTING

   TITLEONE  UFSC/ TraPoDisO
   TITLETWO  Bloomington, IL, 2024 NLCD w/ Impervious and Canopy

   OPTIONS   PRIMARY ZORAD
   DEBUGOPT  GRID TIFF

   CENTERLL   40.48  -88.99   NAD83

   DATAFILE  NLCD2011  "landcover.tiff"

   CLIMATE   AVERAGE   SNOW   NONARID

   FREQ_SECT MONTHLY  2  NONAP


   SECTOR   1   135   225
   SECTOR   2   225   135 

   SEASON   WINTERNS   11  12  1
   SEASON   WINTERWS   2   3
   SEASON   SPRING     4   5   6
   SEASON   SUMMER     7   8   9
   SEASON   AUTUMN    10
   RUNORNOT  RUN 
 



CO FINISHED

OU STARTING

   SFCCHAR    "BL_2024_Imp_Can.sfc"
OU FINISHED
</code>


Below is an explanation of each command in the file:

  * ''CO STARTING'' – Begins the control block.
  * ''TITLEONE'', ''TITLETWO'' – Custom titles for identification in output files.
  * ''OPTIONS PRIMARY ZORAD'' – Requests default outputs and directionally-resolved Zo.
  * ''DEBUGOPT GRID TIFF'' – Enables extra debug output (grid and TIFF info).
  * ''CENTERLL 40.48 -88.99 NAD83'' – Geographic center of analysis.
  * ''DATAFILE NLCD2011 landcover.tiff'' – Defines land cover classification and file.
  * ''CLIMATE AVERAGE SNOW NONARID'' – Local climate parameters.
  * ''FREQ_SECT MONTHLY 2 NONAP'' – Monthly values, 2 directional wind sectors.
  * ''SECTOR 1 135.00 225.00'' – Sector 1 definition (SE–SW).
  * ''SECTOR 2 225.00 135.00'' – Sector 2 definition (SW–N–SE).
  * ''SEASON WINTERNS 1 11 12'' – Late Autumn/Winter season.
  * ''SEASON WINTER 2 3'' – Winter with snow.
  * ''SEASON SPRING 4 5 6'' – Transitional Spring.
  * ''SEASON SUMMER 7 8 9'' – Midsummer.
  * ''SEASON AUTUMN 10'' – Autumn with unharvested crops.
  * ''RUNORNOT RUN'' – Executes the processing.
  * ''CO FINISHED'' – Ends the control block.
  * ''OU STARTING'' – Output file section.
  * ''SFCCHAR BL_2024_Imp_Can.sfc'' – Output file name.
  * ''OU FINISHED'' – Ends the output section.

===== 2.5 Running AERSURFACE =====

Open the Command Prompt and navigate to the folder:  
''cd C:\Users\Cliente\Desktop\AermodTutorial\1.AERSURFACE''  
See [[#Figure 14|Figure 14]].

== Figure 14 ==
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{{:cmdd.png |Figure 14 – Command Prompt}}

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**Figure 14:** Open the terminal in the correct directory.
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Then type the following to execute **AERSURFACE**:  
''aersurface aersurface.txt''

If successful, it should display output like in [[#Figure 15|Figure 15]].

== Figure 15 ==
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{{:cmdsurfacee.png |Figure 15 – AERSURFACE output}}

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**Figure 15:** Console output when execution completes.
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===== 2.6. AERSURFACE Output =====

Once complete, the ''.sfc'' file will be created — this contains the surface data. See [[#Figure 16|Figure 16]].

== Figure 16 ==
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{{:imp_can.png |Figure 16 – Output .sfc file}}

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**Figure 16:** Surface file created after successful execution.
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The following lines are an example of a surface characteristics file used by [[aermet|AERMET]]. Each line provides monthly values of **albedo**, **Bowen ratio**, and **surface roughness length** for a specific wind direction sector.

Example:
<code>
**           Month    Sect    Alb      Bo        Zo
   SITE_CHAR    1       1     0.18     0.95     0.317
   SITE_CHAR    1       2     0.18     0.95     0.346
   SITE_CHAR    2       1     0.46     0.49     0.250
   SITE_CHAR    2       2     0.46     0.49     0.273
   SITE_CHAR    3       1     0.46     0.49     0.250
</code>

=== Column Descriptions ===

^ Column       ^ Description ^
| **SITE_CHAR** | Keyword indicating the start of a surface characteristics entry. |
| **Month**     | Month of the year (1 = January, 2 = February, etc.).             |
| **Sect**      | Wind direction sector number. Defined in [[AERMET]] configuration.   |
| **Alb**       | **Albedo** — fraction of solar radiation reflected by the surface. |
| **Bo**        | **Bowen Ratio** — ratio of sensible heat flux to latent heat flux. Reflects surface moisture conditions. |
| **Zo**        | **Roughness Length** (in meters) — describes the aerodynamic roughness of the surface, affecting wind profile near the ground. |

=== Example Interpretation ===

For the line:
<code>
SITE_CHAR    1       1     0.18     0.95     0.317
</code>

This means:

  * **Month**: January  
  * **Sector**: 1 (e.g., wind directions between 135° and 225°, if there are two sectors)  
  * **Albedo**: 0.18  
  * **Bowen Ratio**: 0.95  
  * **Roughness Length (Zo)**: 0.317 meters

These values are used by [[AERMET]] to compute atmospheric stability and turbulence based on the physical characteristics of the surface surrounding the meteorological station.

Save this file to the folder ''C:\Users\Cliente\Desktop\AermodTutorial\3.AERMET'':  
It will be used in **AERMET's** **Stage 2** as a surface input.

===== 2.7. Next Step =====

After finishing this step, you can continue to:  
[[aerminute|AERMINUTE]]

===== Attachment =====

Here you can download the folder I used to create this document. It is important that you use it only for comparison purposes or in case you are unable to make progress on the project.
Attached: {{ :2.aersurface.rar |aersurface.rar}}