diff --git a/Materials/regions/materials.xml b/Materials/regions/materials.xml
index a33422521..5a6ddfc05 100644
--- a/Materials/regions/materials.xml
+++ b/Materials/regions/materials.xml
@@ -38,6 +38,7 @@
 <region include="Materials/regions/brazil_caatinga.xml"/>
 <region include="Materials/regions/brazil_chapada_diamantina.xml"/>
 <region include="Materials/regions/caribbean.xml"/>
+<region include="Materials/regions/rio_de_janeiro.xml"/>
 
 <!-- Asia -->
 <region include="Materials/regions/asia.xml"/>
diff --git a/Materials/regions/rio_de_janeiro.xml b/Materials/regions/rio_de_janeiro.xml
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..807f7f4ed
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Materials/regions/rio_de_janeiro.xml
@@ -0,0 +1,118 @@
+<?xml version="1.0"?>
+<!-- Regional definitions for Rio de Janeiro area -->
+<PropertyList>
+  <name>Rio de Janeiro</name>
+
+
+  <area>
+    <lon1>-44.0-</lon1>
+    <lon2>-42.0</lon2>
+    <lat1>-24.0</lat1>
+    <lat2>-22.5</lat2>
+  </area>
+
+  <material>
+    <name>BuiltUpCover</name>
+    <name>Urban</name>
+    <effect>Effects/urban</effect>
+    <texture-set>
+      <texture>Terrain/latin_american_city1.png</texture>
+      <texture n="2">Terrain/latin_american_city1-relief-light.png</texture>
+      <texture n="11">Terrain/town-middle-east.png</texture>
+      <texture n="13">Terrain/dirtrock.png</texture>
+    </texture-set>
+    <parameters>
+	<urban_blend>1</urban_blend>
+	<urban_domains>1</urban_domains>
+	<urban_domain_fraction>0.8</urban_domain_fraction>
+	<blend_bias>0.2</blend_bias>
+      	<hires_overlay_bias>-1.0</hires_overlay_bias>
+    </parameters>
+    <object-mask>Terrain/latin_american_city1.mask.png</object-mask>
+    <xsize>1000</xsize>
+    <ysize>1000</ysize>
+    <light-coverage>100000.0</light-coverage>
+    <emissive>
+      <r>0.05</r>
+      <g>0.05</g>
+      <b>0.02</b>
+      <a>1.0</a>
+    </emissive>
+    <object-group include="Materials/base/urban-buildings.xml"/>
+    <building-coverage>2500.0</building-coverage>
+    <building-small-ratio>0.4</building-small-ratio>
+    <building-small-min-floors>3</building-small-min-floors>
+    <building-small-max-width-m>30.0</building-small-max-width-m>
+    <building-small-min-depth-m>10.0</building-small-min-depth-m>
+    <building-small-max-depth-m>30.0</building-small-max-depth-m>
+    <building-medium-ratio>0.6</building-medium-ratio>
+    <building-large-ratio>0.2</building-large-ratio>
+    <wood-coverage>250000.0</wood-coverage>
+    <tree-texture>Trees/deciduous-alt.png</tree-texture>
+    <tree-varieties>8</tree-varieties>
+    <tree-height-m>25.0</tree-height-m>
+    <tree-width-m>15.0</tree-width-m>
+  </material>
+
+ <material>
+    <name>EvergreenBroadCover</name>
+    <name>EvergreenForest</name>
+    <name>Grassland</name>
+    <name>GrassCover</name>
+   <texture-set>
+      <texture>Terrain/rainforest-hawaii.png</texture>
+      <texture n="11">Terrain/rainforest-patch.png</texture>
+      <texture n="12">Terrain/grass_dry2a.png</texture>
+      <texture n="13">Terrain/rock_red.png</texture>
+      <texture n="15">Terrain/airport_grass2.png</texture>
+    </texture-set>
+    <parameters>
+	<grain_strength>0.5</grain_strength>			
+	<transition_model>0.8</transition_model>			
+	<hires_overlay_bias>0.03</hires_overlay_bias>		
+    </parameters>
+    <xsize>2000</xsize>
+    <ysize>2000</ysize>
+    <light-coverage>900000000.0</light-coverage>
+    <!-- <wood-coverage>12000.0</wood-coverage> --> <!-- use this value if mask works -->
+    <wood-coverage>120000.0</wood-coverage>
+    <tree-texture>Trees/caatinga-trees.png</tree-texture>
+    <tree-varieties>4</tree-varieties>
+    <tree-height-m>8.0</tree-height-m>
+    <tree-width-m>8.0</tree-width-m>
+    <rolling-friction>0.7</rolling-friction>
+    <bumpiness>0.8</bumpiness>
+  </material>
+
+ <material>
+    <name>ShrubCover</name>
+    <name>ShrubGrassCover</name>
+    <name>Scrub</name>
+    <name>MixedCropPastureCover</name>
+    <name>MixedCrop</name>
+    <name>ComplexCrop</name>
+   <texture-set>
+      <texture>Terrain/rainforest-hawaii.png</texture>
+      <texture n="11">Terrain/rainforest-patch.png</texture>
+      <texture n="12">Terrain/grass_dry2a.png</texture>
+      <texture n="13">Terrain/rock_red.png</texture>
+      <texture n="15">Terrain/airport_grass2.png</texture>
+    </texture-set>
+    <parameters>
+	<grain_strength>0.5</grain_strength>			
+	<hires_overlay_bias>-0.03</hires_overlay_bias>		
+    </parameters>
+    <xsize>2000</xsize>
+    <ysize>2000</ysize>
+    <light-coverage>900000000.0</light-coverage>
+    <!-- <wood-coverage>12000.0</wood-coverage> --> <!-- use this value if mask works -->
+    <wood-coverage>120000.0</wood-coverage>
+    <tree-texture>Trees/caatinga-trees.png</tree-texture>
+    <tree-varieties>4</tree-varieties>
+    <tree-height-m>8.0</tree-height-m>
+    <tree-width-m>8.0</tree-width-m>
+    <rolling-friction>0.7</rolling-friction>
+    <bumpiness>0.8</bumpiness>
+  </material>
+
+</PropertyList>
diff --git a/Nasal/local_weather/local_weather.nas b/Nasal/local_weather/local_weather.nas
index b941fd9ca..95c9d8e2c 100644
--- a/Nasal/local_weather/local_weather.nas
+++ b/Nasal/local_weather/local_weather.nas
@@ -4532,7 +4532,7 @@ var ec = "/environment/config/";
 
 # a hash map of the strength for convection associated with terrain types
 
-var landcover_map = {BuiltUpCover: 0.35, Town: 0.35, Freeway:0.35, BarrenCover:0.3, HerbTundraCover: 0.25, GrassCover: 0.2, CropGrassCover: 0.2, EvergreenBroadCover: 0.2, EvergreenNeedleCover: 0.2, Sand: 0.25, Grass: 0.2, Grassland: 0.2, Ocean: 0.01, Marsh: 0.05, Lake: 0.01, ShrubCover: 0.15, Shrub: 0.15, Landmass: 0.2, CropWoodCover: 0.15, MixedForestCover: 0.15, DryCropPastureCover: 0.25, MixedCropPastureCover: 0.2, MixedCrop: 0.2, IrrCropPastureCover: 0.15, DeciduousBroadCover: 0.1, DeciduousNeedleCover: 0.1, Bog: 0.05, Littoral: 0.05, pa_taxiway : 0.35, pa_tiedown: 0.35, pc_taxiway: 0.35, pc_tiedown: 0.35, Glacier: 0.03, SnowCover: 0.04, DryLake: 0.3, IntermittentStream: 0.2, DryCrop: 0.2, Lava: 0.3, GolfCourse: 0.2, Rock: 0.3, Construction: 0.35, PackIce: 0.04, NaturalCrop: 0.2};
+var landcover_map = {BuiltUpCover: 0.35, Town: 0.35, Freeway:0.35, BarrenCover:0.3, HerbTundraCover: 0.25, GrassCover: 0.2, CropGrassCover: 0.2, EvergreenBroadCover: 0.2, EvergreenNeedleCover: 0.2, Sand: 0.25, Grass: 0.2, Grassland: 0.2, Ocean: 0.01, Marsh: 0.05, Lake: 0.01, ShrubCover: 0.15, Shrub: 0.15, Landmass: 0.2, CropWoodCover: 0.15, MixedForestCover: 0.15, DryCropPastureCover: 0.25, MixedCropPastureCover: 0.2, MixedCrop: 0.2, ComplexCrop: 0.2, IrrCropPastureCover: 0.15, DeciduousBroadCover: 0.1, DeciduousNeedleCover: 0.1, Bog: 0.05, Littoral: 0.05, pa_taxiway : 0.35, pa_tiedown: 0.35, pc_taxiway: 0.35, pc_tiedown: 0.35, Glacier: 0.03, SnowCover: 0.04, DryLake: 0.3, IntermittentStream: 0.2, DryCrop: 0.2, Lava: 0.3, GolfCourse: 0.2, Rock: 0.3, Construction: 0.35, PackIce: 0.04, NaturalCrop: 0.2};
 
 # a hash map of average vertical cloud model sizes