Modelled spatio-temporal variability of air temperature in an urban climate and its validation: a case study of Brno, Czech Republic

This study compares the results of air temperature model simulations with real temperature measurements in an urban environment. The non-hydrostatic micro-scale model MUKLIMO_3 is used to predict air temperature fields in Brno (Czech Republic). The development of the air temperature fields on three different days was modelled which characterising the radiation-driven weather conditions with high temperature that occurred during the summer of 2015. This analysis demonstrates that the model is able to reproduce the spatial distribution of the air temperature during the day. Statistical tests were applied to establish whether significant differences exist between the modelled and measured air temperatures. Verification of the model results against real temperature measurements was performed at five meteorological stations. The mean absolute differences between the simulated and measured daily mean temperatures were 0.7 °C (4 July), 0.6 °C (18 July) and 0.5 °C (28 August), respectively. This demonstrates that the model overestimated the real values, however, not all the differences were statistically significant. Moreover, there were no significant differences in the variability of the temperatures that were compared. This study also shows that the proper definition of Local Climate Zones and their parameters is critical for more precise model performance

Identifying hot and cool spots in the city centre based on bicycle measurements: The case of Olomouc, Czech Republic

In this study we focus on a detailed analysis of air temperature in the city centre of Olomouc, using a bicycle for mobile measurements. We studied the Spatial pattern of air temperature, analysed temperature differences between local climate zones (LCZs) and identifed hot spots and cool spots in the city centre. The results point to a signifcant influence of microclimate and local climate on the field of temperature. In the daytime, hotspots occurred namely in LCZ 8 and E and in the well irradiated spaces within LCZ 2. Larger areas of scattered trees (LCZ B) in combination with watercourses created cool spots with a cooling potential for their surroundings. During night time, the warmest spots were detected mostly in LCZ 2 and the coolest spots in areas with low plants (LCZ D)

Different boundary conditions for LES solver Palm 6.0 used for ABL in tunnel experiment

summary:We tried to reproduce results measured in the wind tunnel experiment with a CFD simulation provided by numerical model PALM. A realistic buildings layout from the Prague-Dejvice quarter has been chosen as a testing domain because solid validation campaign for PALM simulation of Atmospheric Boundary Layer (ABL) over this quarter was documented in the past. The question of input data needed for such simulation and capability of the model to capture correctly the inlet profile and its turbulence structure provided by the wind-tunnel is discussed in the study. The PALM dynamical core contains a solver for the Navier-Stokes equations. By default, the model uses the Large Eddy Simulation (LES) approach in which the bulk of the turbulent motions is explicitly resolved. It is well validated tool for simulations of the complex air-flow within the real urban canopy and also within its reduced scale provided by wind tunnel experiments. However the computed flow field between the testing buildings did not correspond well to the measured wind velocity in some points. Different setting of the inlet boundary condition was tested but none of them gave completely developed turbulent flow generated by vortex generators and castellated barrier wall place at the entrance of the aerodynamic section of the wind tunnel

Overview of the PALM model system 6.0

In this paper, we describe the PALM model system 6.0. PALM (formerly an abbreviation for Parallelized Large-eddy Simulation Model and now an independent name) is a Fortran-based code and has been applied for studying a variety of atmospheric and oceanic boundary layers for about 20 years. The model is optimized for use on massively parallel computer architectures. This is a follow-up paper to the PALM 4.0 model description in Maronga et al. (2015). During the last years, PALM has been significantly improved and now offers a variety of new components. In particular, much effort was made to enhance the model with components needed for applications in urban environments, like fully interactive land surface and radiation schemes, chemistry, and an indoor model. This paper serves as an overview paper of the PALM 6.0 model system and we describe its current model core. The individual components for urban applications, case studies, validation runs, and issues with suitable input data are presented and discussed in a series of companion papers in this special issue

Sensitivity analysis of the PALM model system 6.0 in the urban environment

Sensitivity of the PALM model 6.0 with respect to land-surface and building properties is tested in a real urban environment in the vicinity of a typical crossroads in a densely built-up residential area in Prague, Czech Republic. The turbulence-resolving PALM is able to simulate the urban boundary layer flow for realistic setups. Besides an accurate representation of the relevant physical processes, the model performance also depends on the input data describing the urban setup, namely the building and land-surface properties. Two types of scenario are employed. The first one is the synthetic scenarios altering mainly surface and material parameters such as albedo, emissivity or wall conductivity, testing sensitivity of the model simulations to potentially erroneous input data. Second, urbanistic-type scenarios are analysed, in which commonly considered urban heat island mitigation measures such as greening of the streets or changing surface materials are applied in order to assess the limits of the effects of a particular type of scenario. For the synthetic scenarios, surface parameters used in radiation balance equations are found to be the most sensitive overall followed by the volumetric heat capacity and thermal conductivity of walls. Other parameters show a limited average effect; however, some can still be significant during some parts of the day, such as surface roughness in the morning hours. The second type, the urbanistic scenarios, shows urban vegetation to be the most effective measure, especially when considering both physical and biophysical temperature indicators. The influence of both types of scenario was also tested for air quality, specifically PM2.5 dispersion, which generally shows opposite behaviour to that of thermal indicators; i.e. improved thermal comfort brings deterioration of PM2.5 concentrations. © 2021 Michal Belda et al

Statistical analyses of Land Surface Temperature in Local Climate Zones: Case study of Brno and Prague (Czech Republic)

The classification of "local climate zones" (LCZs) emerged in urban climatology to standardize description of urban climate research sites. One of the goals of classification was to get beyond urban-rural dichotomy which enabled to study urban air temperature field in more detail. Based on empirical and modelling work LCZ have proven effective in examining intra-urban air temperature differences, however a robust examination of intra-urban land surface temperatures using the LCZ framework remains elusive. In this study a GIS-based method is used for LCZ delimitation in Prague and Brno (Czech Republic), while land surface temperatures (LSTs) derived from LANDSAT and ASTER satellite data are employed for exploring the extent to which LCZ classes discriminate with respect to LSTs. Results indicate that LCZs demonstrate the features typical of LST variability, and thus typical surface temperatures differ significantly among most LCZs. ANOVA and subsequent multiple comparison tests demonstrated that significant temperature differences between the various LCZs prevail in both cities (89.3% and 91.6% significant LST differences for Brno and Prague respectively). In general, LCZ 8 (large low-rise buildings), LCZ 10 (heavy industry) and LCZ D (low plants) are well-distinguishable, while LCZ 2 (compact midrise), LCZ 4 (open high-rise), and LCZ 9 (sparsely built-up) are less distinguishable in terms of their LST. In most of the scenes LCZ 10 (heavy industry), LCZ 2 (mid-rise buildings) and LCZ 3 (low-rise building) are the warmest and LCZ G (water bodies) and LCZ A (dense forest) are the coolest zones in term of their LST. Further studies are needed to account for observational errors (such as seasons differences or thermal anisotropy) on LCZ LST patterns

High-Resolution Modelling of Thermal Exposure during a Hot Spell: A Case Study Using PALM-4U in Prague, Czech Republic

The modelling of thermal exposure in outdoor urban environments is a highly topical challenge in modern climate research. This paper presents the results derived from a new micrometeorological model that employs an integrated biometeorology module to model Universal Thermal Climate Index (UTCI). This is PALM-4U, which includes an integrated human body-shape parameterization, deployed herein for a pilot domain in Prague, Czech Republic. The results highlight the key role of radiation in the spatiotemporal variability of thermal exposure in moderate-climate urban areas during summer days in terms of the way in which this directly affects thermal comfort through radiant temperature and indirectly through the complexity of turbulence in street canyons. The model simulations suggest that the highest thermal exposure may be expected within street canyons near the irradiated north sides of east–west streets and near streets oriented north–south. Heat exposure in streets increases in proximity to buildings with reflective paints. The lowest heat exposure during the day may be anticipated in tree-shaded courtyards. The cooling effect of trees may range from 4 °C to 9 °C in UTCI, and the cooling effect of grass in comparison with artificial paved surfaces in open public places may be from 2 °C to 5 °C UTCI. In general terms, this study illustrates that the PALM modelling system provides a new perspective on the spatiotemporal differentiation of thermal exposure at the pedestrian level; it may therefore contribute to more climate-sensitive urban planning

GIS-based delineation of local climate zones: The case of medium-sized Central European cities

Stewart and Oke (2012) recently proposed the concept of Local Climate Zones (LCZ) to describe the siting of urban meteorological stations and to improve the presentation of results amongst researchers. There is now a concerted effort, however, within the field of urban climate studies to map the LCZs across entire cities, providing a means to compare the internal structure of urban areas in a standardised way and to enable the comparison of cities. We designed a new GIS-based LCZ mapping method for Central European cities and compiled LCZ maps for three selected medium-sized Central European cities: Brno, Hradec Králové, and Olomouc (Czech Republic). The method is based on measurable physical properties and a clearly defined decision-making algorithm. Our analysis shows that the decision-making algorithm for defining the percentage coverage for individual LCZs showed good agreement (in 79–89% of cases) with areas defined on the basis of expert knowledge. When the distribution of LCZs on the basis of our method and the method of Bechtel and Daneke (2012) was compared, the results were broadly similar; however, considerable differences occurred for LCZs 3, 5, 10, D, and E. It seems that Central European cities show a typical spatial pattern of LCZ distribution but that rural settlements in the region also regularly form areas of built-type LCZ classes. The delineation and description of the spatial distribution of LCZs is an important step towards the study of urban climates in a regional setting