Long-term variations in thermal comfort in Vienna

Summary A human energy balance model is calculated using the homogeneous data set of Vienna, Austria (48°N and 16° E). Variations in the different stages of comfort since 1873 are discussed. The historical data are then used to generate scenarios of a changing climate and calculate the impact of these variations on thermal comfort.With 5 Figures     

Observed climate variability and change in Urmia Lake Basin, Iran

This paper analyzes climate variability and change in the Urmia Lake Basin, northwest of Iran. Annual average of the following data time series has been analyzed by statistical methods: dry bulb temperature, maximum and minimum temperature, precipitation, and number of rainy and snowy days. We have also used mean monthly temperature and precipitation data for analysis of drought spells for the period 1964–2005 to find out whether fluctuations in the lake level are attributable to natural drought. Our results indicate that mean precipitation has decreased by 9.2 % and the average maximum temperature has increased by 0.8°C over these four decades. The seasonal changes are particularly visible in winter and spring. Results of the Palmer Drought Severity Index show that on average, drought episodes have hit the Urmia Lake Basin every 5 years and most of them reached severe levels, but recent droughts have become more intense and last longer.     

Impact of climate change on runoff in Lake Urmia basin,Iran

Theoretical and Applied Climatology - Investigation of the impact of climate change on water resources is very necessary in dry and arid regions. In the first part of this paper, the climate model...     

基于ENVI-met的福州大学校区冬季热环境模拟与热舒适度变化分析

选取福州大学校园教学区为研究区域,基于典型冬季日背景,运用三维非静力微气候模型ENVI-met,分析模拟校园热环境的差异变化及其热舒适度响应。结合实地勘测,对模型进行校准和验证。结果表明：ENVI-met模型能较好地表征室外热环境,准确预测温度和相对湿度的日变化趋势。混凝土路面、灰色地砖路面行人高度的日平均气温分别比草地高出0.1 ℃和0.3 ℃,逐时最大温差分别为0.68 ℃和0.65 ℃。建筑物阴影和树阴可降低行人高度的气温1.1—1.9 ℃;同一组团在有无遮阴的条件下,平均辐射温度（T_mrt）相差最大可达30 ℃;树木附近和建筑物组团内部生理等效温度（PET）值较小,比硬质路面低2—3个等级。无植被方案下,高温低湿区范围有所扩张,在垂直方向上的增温效应可伸展至10.5 m;风速最大增幅可达1.23 m·s^-1,平均辐射温度较高区域的面积增加了69.25%;热舒适区和热不适区面积分别增加了19.78%和2.03%。     

FY-4A AGRI热红外通道辐射定标的精确外场评估

Fengyun-4A(FY-4A)卫星是2016年12月11日发射的我国新一代对地静止气象卫星,它配备了先进的成像仪和测深仪,可提供高时空和光谱分辨率的探测信息,用于天气气候相关的监测、预警和预报。多通道扫描成像辐射计(AGRI)是FY-4A卫星平台挂载的关键辐射成像仪器,重点用于云观测,并利用高时间分辨率的特征进行天气过程追踪。AGRI的红外辐射通道具有全光路的星上红外定标系统,与FY-2上的红外可见自旋扫描辐射计(VISSR)相比,无论在定量标定、成像速度和空间分辨率方面均有了显著改善。FY-4A AGRI的在轨运行状态和星上辐射定标水平的精确评估,对红外通道产品应用具有重大意义。     

Effect of the position of the visible sky in determining the sky view factor on micrometeorological and human thermal comfort conditions in urban street canyons

Poor daytime and night-time micrometeorological conditions are issues that influence the quality of environmental conditions and can undermine a comfortable human lifestyle. The sky view factor (SVF) is one of the essential physical parameters used to assess the micrometeorological conditions and thermal comfort levels within city streets. The position of the visible sky relative to the path of the sun, in the cardinal and ordinal directions, has not been widely discerned as a parameter that could have an impact on the micrometeorological conditions of urban streets. To investigate this parameter, different urban streets that have a similar SVF value but diverse positions of visible sky were proposed in different street directions intersecting with the path of the sun, namely N–S, NE–SW and NW–SE. The effects of daytime and night-time micrometeorological variables and human thermal comfort variables on the street were investigated by applying ENVI-met V3.1 Beta software. The results show that the position of the visible sky has a greater influence on the street’s meteorological and human thermal comfort conditions than the SVF value. It has the ability to maximise or minimise the mean radiation temperature (Tmrt, °C) and the physiological equivalent temperature (PET, °C) at street level. However, the visible sky positioned to the zenith in a NE–SW or N–S street direction and to the SW of a NW–SE street direction achieves the best daytime micrometeorological and thermal comfort conditions. Alternatively, the visible sky positioned to the NE for a NW–SE street direction, to the NW and the zenith for a NE–SW street direction and to the zenith for a N–S street direction reduces the night-time air temperature (Ta, °C). Therefore, SVF and the position of the visible sky relative to the sun’s trajectory, in the cardinal and ordinal directions, must be considered during urban street planning to better understand the resultant micrometeorological and human thermal comfort conditions.     

Evaluation of Haney-Type Surface ThermalBoundary Conditions Using a CoupledAtmosphere and Ocean Model

A coupled atmosphere-ocean model developed at the Institute for Space Studies at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (Russell et al., 1995) was used to verify the validity of Haney-type surface thermal boundary condition, which linearly connects net downward surface heat flux Q to air / sea temperature difference △T by a relaxation coefficient k. The model was initiated from the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) atmospheric observations for 1 December 1977, and from the National Ocean Data Center (NODC) global climatological mean December temperature and salinity fields at 1° ×1° resolution. The time step is 7.5 minutes. We integrated the model for 450 days and obtained a complete model-generated global data set of daily mean downward net surface flux Q, surface air temperature TA,and sea surface temperature To. Then, we calculated the cross-correlation coefficients (CCC) between Q and △T. The ensemble mean CCC fields show (a) no correlation between Q and △T in the equatorial regions, and (b) evident correlation (CCC≥ 0.7) between Q and △T in the middle and high latitudes.Additionally, we did the variance analysis and found that when k= 120 W m-2K-1, the two standard deviations, σQ and σk△T, are quite close in the middle and high latitudes. These results agree quite well with a previous research (Chu et al., 1998) on analyzing the NCEP re-analyzed surface data, except that a smaller value of k (80 W m-2K-1) was found in the previous study.     

Effect of asymmetrical street canyons on pedestrian thermal comfort in warm-humid climate of Cuba

Walkability and livability in cities can be enhanced by creating comfortable environments in the streets. The profile of an urban street canyon has a substantial impact on outdoor thermal conditions at pedestrian level. This paper deals with the effect of asymmetrical street canyon profiles, common in the historical centre of Camagüey, Cuba, on outdoor thermal comfort. Temporal-spatial analyses are conducted using the Heliodon2 and the RayMan model, which enable the generation of accurate predictions about solar radiation and thermal conditions of urban spaces, respectively. On these models, urban settings are represented by asymmetrical street canyons with five different height-to-width ratios and four street axis orientations (N-S, NE-SW, E-W, SE-NW). Results are evaluated for daytime hours across the street canyon, by means of the physiologically equivalent temperature (PET index) which allows the evaluation of the bioclimatic conditions of outdoor environments. Our findings revealed that high profiles (façades) located on the east-facing side of N-S streets, on the southeast-facing side of NE-SW streets, on the south-facing side of E-W street, and on the southwest-facing side of SE-NW streets, are recommended to reduce the total number of hours under thermal stress. E-W street canyons are the most thermally stressed ones, with extreme PET values around 36 °C. Deviating from this orientation ameliorates the heat stress with reductions of up to 4 h in summer. For all analysed E-W orientations, only about one fifth of the street can be comfortable, especially for high aspect ratios (H/W > 3). Optimal subzones in the street are next to the north side of the E-W street, northwest side of the NE-SW street, and southwest side of the SE-NW street. Besides, when the highest profile is located on the east side of N-S streets, then the subzone next to the east-facing façade is recommendable for pedestrians. The proposed urban guidelines enable urban planners to create and renovate urban spaces which are more efficient in diminishing pedestrian thermal stress.     

湖北省夏季旅游气候舒适度模糊综合评判

采用数学模糊评判方法,选取湖北省6个具有气候代表性站点30a(1978-2007年)夏季(6、7、8月)的逐日平均气温、相对湿度和风速资料,作为评价气候环境对人体舒适度的影响因素,并根据环境卫生学理论将舒适程度分为很舒适、舒适、较舒适和不舒适4个等级,对湖北省夏季旅游气候舒适度进行模糊评判分析.结果显示湖北省夏季旅游气候不舒适主要是由高温、高湿的综合作用所引起的.     

An investigation on thermal patterns in Iran based on spatial autocorrelation

The present study aimed at investigating temporal-spatial patterns and monthly patterns of temperature in Iran using new spatial statistical methods such as cluster and outlier analysis, and hotspot analysis. To do so, climatic parameters, monthly average temperature of 122 synoptic stations, were assessed. Statistical analysis showed that January with 120.75% had the most fluctuation among the studied months. Global Moran’s Index revealed that yearly changes of temperature in Iran followed a strong spatially clustered pattern. Findings showed that the biggest thermal cluster pattern in Iran, 0.975388, occurred in May. Cluster and outlier analyses showed that thermal homogeneity in Iran decreases in cold months, while it increases in warm months. This is due to the radiation angle and synoptic systems which strongly influence thermal order in Iran. The elevations, however, have the most notable part proved by Geographically weighted regression model. Iran’s thermal analysis through hotspot showed that hot thermal patterns (very hot, hot, and semi-hot) were dominant in the South, covering an area of 33.5% (about 552,145.3 km²). Regions such as mountain foot and low lands lack any significant spatial autocorrelation, 25.2% covering about 415,345.1 km². The last is the cold thermal area (very cold, cold, and semi-cold) with about 25.2% covering about 552,145.3 km² of the whole area of Iran.     

Microclimatic variation of thermal comfort in a district of Lisbon (Telheiras) at night

Summary The microclimatic spatial variation of air temperature, wind speed, radiative fluxes and Physiological Equivalent Temperature (PET) was studied in Telheiras, a northern district of the city of Lisbon. The main goal was to assess how to improve outdoor thermal conditions based on research results. An empirical model was developed to estimate PET in Telheiras under different weather types; the model allows the continuous spatial representation of PET, using a Geographical Information System (GIS) and can be used in other areas of Lisbon. Although there is a small microclimatic variation in air temperature, the PET presents a much stronger variation, due to the influence of wind and radiative fluxes. Urban geometry, expressed by the Sky View Factor (SVF), is the main factor controlling the microclimatic diversity of the neighbourhood. The coolest conditions occur in open areas (centre of large courtyards and marginal areas) and the warmest in streets with low SVF that are sheltered from the wind. Authors’ address: H. Andrade and M.-J. Alcoforado, Centro de Estudos Geográficos, Universidade de Lisboa, Alameda da Universidade, 1600-214 Lisboa, Portugal     

WRF_Lake湖气模式对我国太湖的湖温模拟应用评估

文章把一维热扩散湖模式成功地耦合到中尺度天气研究和预报模式WRF3.2中,建立了湖气耦合模式。并用太湖区梅梁湾获得的2010年8月11—28日的观测资料对该耦合模式模拟湖温的能力进行了初步评估。设计了3组方案进行对照试验,分别为:(1)没有加入湖模块的WRF模式试验(WRF);(2)没有对参数进行优化的原始耦合模式试验(WRF_Lake_Old);(3)对3个参数进行优化后的耦合模式试验(WRF_Lake_New)。结果表明耦合了湖泊模块并且参数优化后的湖气耦合模式(WRF_Lake_New)比没有包含湖面方案的WRF模式对太湖水温的模拟能力有了很大的改进。WRF_Lake_New能够合理地模拟出太湖梅梁湾上湖表温度的日变化,模拟的湖表温度误差范围平均在±1℃左右,模拟的空气温度平均误差范围在±0.5℃以内,模拟的感、潜热通量也与观测更为接近。该耦合模式在太湖的初步评估结果表明,该湖气耦合模式为下一步研究湖泊过程和湖气相互作用提供了重要的工具。     

溱湖湿地生态系统服务价值评估研究

利用实地调研结果,结合相关文献资料,采用市场价值法、影子工程法、旅行费用法等评估方法,对溱湖湿地生态系统的物质生产、涵养水源和调蓄洪水、提供动植物栖息地、调节气候、降解污染物和科考旅游等6个效益最为突出的生态系统服务功能经济价值指标进行评估。研究表明：溱湖湿地生态系统的总价值为1.15×109元,其中直接使用价值为7.708×108元,间接使用价值为3.62×108元,非使用价值为0.18×108元。其中科考旅游价值所占比重最大,为40.84％,调节气候价值次之,而生物多样性保护价值仅占1.45%。对溱湖湿地生态系统服务功能及服务价值的探讨,可正确认识该生态系统的生态经济价值,为合理开发利用提供决策参考,确保其资源的可持续利用。     

Counteracting urban climate change: adaptation measures and their effect on thermal comfort

Cities represent thermal load areas compared with their surrounding environments. Due to climate change, summer heat events will increase. Therefore, mitigation and adaptation are needed. In this study, meteorological measurements in various local climate zones were performed to demonstrate the influence of evaporation surfaces and other factors on thermal comfort, as determined by the physiologically equivalent temperature (PET). Furthermore, a quantification of the thermal effects of several adaptation measures and varying meteorological parameters was made using model simulations (ENVI-met) in an inner-city neighborhood (Oberhausen, Germany). The results show that the most effective adaptation measure was increased wind speed (maximal 15 K PET reduction). Moreover, vegetation areas show greater PET reductions by the combination of shading and evapotranspiration than water surfaces. The creation of park areas with sufficient water supply and tall, isolated, shade-providing trees that allow for adequate ventilation can be recommended for planning.     

Evaluation of TIGGE Ensemble Forecasts of Precipitation in Distinct Climate Regions in Iran

The application of numerical weather prediction(NWP) products is increasing dramatically. Existing reports indicate that ensemble predictions have better skill than deterministic forecasts. In this study, numerical ensemble precipitation forecasts in the TIGGE database were evaluated using deterministic, dichotomous(yes/no), and probabilistic techniques over Iran for the period 2008–16. Thirteen rain gauges spread over eight homogeneous precipitation regimes were selected for evaluation.The Inverse Distance Weighting and Kriging methods were adopted for interpolation of the prediction values, downscaled to the stations at lead times of one to three days. To enhance the forecast quality, NWP values were post-processed via Bayesian Model Averaging. The results showed that ECMWF had better scores than other products. However, products of all centers underestimated precipitation in high precipitation regions while overestimating precipitation in other regions. This points to a systematic bias in forecasts and demands application of bias correction techniques. Based on dichotomous evaluation,NCEP did better at most stations, although all centers overpredicted the number of precipitation events. Compared to those of ECMWF and NCEP, UKMO yielded higher scores in mountainous regions, but performed poorly at other selected stations.Furthermore, the evaluations showed that all centers had better skill in wet than in dry seasons. The quality of post-processed predictions was better than those of the raw predictions. In conclusion, the accuracy of the NWP predictions made by the selected centers could be classified as medium over Iran, while post-processing of predictions is recommended to improve the quality.     

鄱阳湖流域生态系统服务价值评估

为定量评估鄱阳湖及五河(赣江、抚河、信江、饶河、修河)流域生态系统服务价值,以及为江西省生态文明建设提供决策参考,文中收集整理了2015年流域水资源、农作物及水产品产量、污染物排放量、水土流失等数据,运用市场价格法、替代成本法等对江西省鄱阳湖及五河流域年度流域物质生产、水资源供给、水环境承载力、蓄水功能和水土保持五大功能价值进行定量评估。结果表明:鄱阳湖及五河流域2015年流域生态系统服务功能总经济价值为4.53×10~(11)元,各生态服务功能价值的比例最高的是流域物质生产,为54%,这反映了江西省是一个拥有丰富农业资源的农业大省。江西省流域生态系统服务功能价值的水资源供给、水环境承载力、蓄水、水土保持等其他功能价值方面有很大的发展空间,随着经济社会的不断发展,其服务功能价值将得到更大的体现。