Modeling the relative roles of the foehn wind and urban expansion in the 2002 Beijing heat wave and possible mitigation by high reflective roofs

Rapid urbanization has intensified summer heat waves in recent decades in Beijing, China. In this study, effectiveness of applying high-reflectance roofs on mitigating the warming effects caused by urban expansion and foehn wind was simulated for a record-breaking heat wave occurred in Beijing during July 13–15, 2002. Simulation experiments were performed using the Weather Research and Forecast (WRF version 3.0) model coupled with an urban canopy model. The modeled diurnal air temperatures were compared well with station observations in the city and the wind convergence caused by urban heat island (UHI) effect could be simulated clearly. By increasing urban roof albedo, the simulated UHI effect was reduced due to decreased net radiation, and the simulated wind convergence in the urban area was weakened. Using WRF3.0 model, the warming effects caused by urban expansion and foehn wind were quantified separately, and were compared with the cooling effect due to the increased roof albedo. Results illustrated that the foehn warming effect under the northwesterly wind contributed greatly to this heat wave event in Beijing, while contribution from urban expansion accompanied by anthropogenic heating was secondary, and was mostly evident at night. Increasing roof albedo could reduce air temperature both in the day and at night, and could more than offset the urban expansion effect. The combined warming caused by the urban expansion and the foehn wind could be potentially offset with high-reflectance roofs by 58.8 % or cooled by 1.4 °C in the early afternoon on July 14, 2002, the hottest day during the heat wave.