Harmonized Land Dynamics in Regional Climate Simulations and Projection: A LUH2-Based RegCM-CLM Study over Iran

The research operates within the established paradigm of regional climate science, which uses numerical Regional Climate Models (RCMs) coupled with Land Surface Models (LSMs) to simulate and project climate dynamics. Specifically, it uses the RegCM-CLM framework. A common practice, or sub-paradigm, within this field has been the use of static Land Use/Land Cover (LULC) data as a boundary condition for simulations. This paper addresses a known puzzle within that practice: the biases introduced by not accounting for dynamic changes in land surface over time.

This paper exemplifies Normal Science by performing a "puzzle-solving" activity within the existing regional climate modeling paradigm. It addresses the known limitation of using static land use datasets by incorporating a dynamic dataset (LUH2) into the RegCM-CLM model. The study meticulously evaluates the model's performance with both static and dynamic data, demonstrating improved accuracy for temperature simulations. This work refines and extends the precision of the current paradigm by providing a more realistic representation of land-atmosphere interactions, without fundamentally challenging the core principles of regional climate modeling. It is an incremental, yet important, advancement.