Correlation of Land Use and Cover with Meteorological Anomalies

Abstract

Aerial reconnaissance of the greater St. Louis area has led to the identification and classification of land use types. The land use classification provides as much compatibility as possible with other classification systems, yet offers the inclusion of percentage vegetative cover as an innovative characteristic of the land use description. The observed meteorological (thermodynamic, kinematic and radiative) anomalies in the vicinity of the metropolitan area are shown to be affiliated with ?meteorologically significant? land cover characteristics. It is suggested that the specific details of population, areal extent and type of metropolitan land cover must be considered in estimating the potential for inadvertent weather modification.