Urban land surface models (ULSMs) are important tools for studying the climatic effects of human activity. Various kinds of ULSMs have been developed to simulate the land-atmosphere interactions in urban areas. Although the parameterization schemes of these models have become increasingly complicated, the influencing mechanisms and approaches of human-made land surface construction on urban land-atmosphere

High resolution urban wind field simulations are limited in small simulation domain, short simulation period, or stable boundary conditions due to the high computational requirements. To address these limitations, non-intrusive reduced order models (NIROMs) are developed in this study and first realized the prediction of high-resolution 3D wind field in a city-scale area (~150 km2) during a long simulation

In light of globally increasing temperatures, accentuated in cities by the urban heat island effect, urban planners and designers are looking for new, quantitative methods to assess the performance of their designs in terms of ecosystem services provided by vegetation. Among these ecosystem services, improved microclimate conditions are particularly important for human thermal comfort and health. In

Urban surface temperature is a very important variable in the observation and understanding of energy exchange. A comprehensive understanding of the urban thermal environment is of great significance towards the adaptability of urban areas to climate hazards. The heterogeneity of urban space increases the complexity of the urban surface temperature observations and the analyses of the energy exchange

Nature-based solutions (NBS) are increasingly promoted to mitigate urbanization effects, such as the urban heat island. The release of latent heat requires the availability of water in the urban soils. Models able to represent both detailed water and energy budgets are needed for a reliable evaluation of NBSs performances. The TEB-Hydro model is a recent hydro-microclimate model that extends the physics

Extreme heat events (EHEs) have been linked to increased mortality rates, rendering them a valuable research topic in both climate and public health. Early warning systems are highly impactful in prevention and management of heat-related illnesses. We aimed to determine the preliminary maximum temperature thresholds for Nagpur and Rajkot city of India by analyzing the meteorological and mortality data

This study evaluates land use/cover changes and urban expansion in Lahore, Pakistan from 2000 to 2020 using satellite images and socio-economic data. Spatial and temporal dynamics of land use/cover changes were quantified using five Landsat images, a supervised classification algorithm post-classification change detection and the intensity analysis technique in GIS. Landsat images 2000, 2005, 2010

Urban centers concentrate high levels of atmospheric pollutants, sourced by vehicular traffic, public transit systems, industrial emissions and agricultural emissions. This leads to the accumulation of gases and particulate matter (PM) which contribute to the degradation of historic buildings. Considering the importance of preserving historic structures, this manuscript examines the analysis of dangerous

The present study aims at a real-world assessment of the driving behaviour and exhaustive emission performance of motorcycle (MC) driving in a middle-sized city of a developing country, i.e. Isfahan, Iran. We developed the Isfahan Motorcycle Driving Cycle (IMDC) using comprehensive data collection and then compared it with the available overseas MCDCs and DC of local LDVs. Onboard experiments were

Field measurement campaigns have grown exponentially in recent years, stemming from the need for reliable data to validate urban climate models and obtain a better understanding of urban climate features. Also contributing to this growth is the Local Climate Zone (LCZ) scheme, firstly developed to enhance the accuracy in the contextualisation of urban measurements, and lately used for characterising

We analyzed the relationship between the temperature and traffic accidents in Seoul-Incheon, Busan, Daegu, Daejeon, and Gwangju by the time-of-day (06:00 to 22:00, divided into segments of 4 h) and age of casualties between 2012 and 2017 for the summer season (June to August). A generalized additive model and meta-analysis were employed to analyze this relationship. We found that the threshold temperatures

In this study, effect of the timestep and thermography method when measuring the surface temperature of the road and surround temperature on pavement watering was verified. The study result showed that the temperature of the surface and surround air were dropped after watering according to the cooling effect, and the temperature change tends to occur considerably within 10 min in this experiment. Therefore

The current climate changes imply the rise of the mean temperature of the cities during hot periods. To help the public policy to be more efficient about Urban Heat Island (UHI) reduction we aim to define a UHI risk indicator. To be useful at a local scale, the resolution of this index must be at the scale of the buildings – i.e. about 5 m. The UHI risk indicator can be mapped with the use of standard

As the frequency, duration, and intensity of heat waves have been increasing in recent decades, the effective and efficient allocation of cooling shelters has become a significant issue in many cities. This study presents an integer programming model for allocating cooling shelters with the two conflicting objectives of maximizing coverage for the heat-vulnerable population and minimizing total operating

The ‘state-of-the-art’ urban climate models have not been evaluated against dense meteorological networks under various weather conditions. In this study, we conducted high-resolution urban climate simulations in Beijing and investigated the relationship between their performances and urban canopy parameters (UCPs). The latest version of single-layer (UCM) and multi-layer (BEP) urban canopy models

Urban areas cause several transformations in the landscape through the replacement of vegetation and permeable soils for buildings and waterproofing of surfaces. Such changes result in a different energy balance according to land use and occupation characteristics, contributing to the generation of heat islands. This research aims to compare and analyze the intensities of day and night atmospheric

Urban landscapes, made of unique buildings, pavements, and vegetation, create complex influences on the atmosphere. These influences induce increased nighttime warming and daytime cooling, especially in arid regions. This study compared three types of surfaces, including rooftop, turfgrass, and canyons, in terms of surface temperature and surface energy fluxes. A 68 sq.km parcel in Phoenix, AZ was

Diurnal temperature range (DTR) is a critical indicator that reflects the intra-day variability of temperature. In this study, we used Poisson regression with a distributed lag non-linear model (DLNM) to fit the exposure-response relationship between DTR and cardiovascular disease (CVD) hospital admissions and assess the lag effect simultaneously. The CVD and meteorological data were collected from

A significant urbanization effect in the observed surface air temperature (SAT) data series have been found in developing regions. Here we analyzed the possible impact of urbanization on long-term SAT trends in the Pyongyang region of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea by using data of SAT, wind data and Landsat TM images. Results show that the annual mean urbanization effect in the SAT series

Managing urban air systems is now on top priority. The local wind flow at the building scale is governed by the urban morphology, which is difficult to be captured by the parameterizations of the regional scale weather models. In this study, we dynamically downscaled the 1 km resolution wind flow simulated by the WRF-UCM (Weather Research and Forecasting with Urban Canopy Model) to the building scale

For the last 20 years, Istanbul has intensely experienced land use/cover change (LUCC) as a result of both the direction of investment strategies to the construction sector and urban transformation works. Within this process, the demand for the disposal of debris from building demolitions with minimum cost has made the creation of land reclamation areas a current issue. Land reclamation areas that

Air pollution has been shown to have a direct effect on human health. In particular, PM2.5 has been proven to be related to cardiovascular and respiratory problems. Therefore, it is important to have accurate models to predict high pollution events for this and other pollutants. We present different models that forecast PM2.5 maximum concentrations using a Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) based neural

The estimation of PM10 health effects and air quality forecasting plays an essential role in protecting public health against harmful air pollutants. This study aimed to estimate the impact of meteorological parameters on PM10, evaluate its health impacts, and its prediction using an artificial neural network (ANN) in Yasuj. Demographic, meteorological, and PM10 data were collected from March 2013

Urban climate research has surged in the past decades due to its unique position in addressing the concomitant issues of the rapid global urbanization and emergent climate changes. Nevertheless, there is still a lack of holistic and system-based toolkit for investigating complex dynamics of urban climate systems, especially those of hydroclimate extremes. Here we propose a novel framework based on

Due to the complexity of environmental city networks, the incentives of climate actions in these networks are unclear. Despite their rise, the literature is yet to fully engage with this complexity, as siloed disciplinary focuses on specific aspects of climate actions in city networks are far behind explaining the reality of these networks. Since there is a dispersed understanding of climate actions

The objective of this study was to characterize the patterns of monthly rainfall in the mesoregions of Zona da Mata and Metropolitan of Recife in the state of Pernambuco, Brazil, based on geostatistical techniques and multivariate analysis, in addition to establishing rain flow strategies in urban centers and alerting of possible impacts on local aquifers. The meteorological data are from a 20-year

The effect of urbanization on extreme precipitation in the Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macau Greater Bay Area (GBA), which has been undergoing dramatic urbanization, is explored in this study. Two comparative urban development scenarios (2000 and 2015) were designed to examine the sensitivity of extreme precipitation to urbanization in numerical experiments. The simulation reveals that extreme precipitation

Objective Weather parameters such as temperature, humidity, air quality index and wind speed are the important factors influencing the infectious diseases like Covid-19. Therefore, this study aims to discuss and analyse the relation between weather parameters and the spread of Coronavirus disease (Covid-19) from the perspective of Bangladesh. Methods Correlation among weather parameters and infection

Solar roads are solar panels to be placed on existing roads, where you can drive and walk on. The application of solar roads is very expensive at the beginning, but can pay for itself after several years and even pay-off. Nevertheless, for municipalities this might be a big financial effort. The aim of this project was analysing the potential of solar roads in the German city Bensheim. In this area

Over the recent years, urban green infrastructure (UGI) modelling has emerged as an adaptation strategy to enhance cities' resilience against ever-rising environmental hazards. The UGI improves urban eco-system functions to protect human health and wellbeing, both locally and globally. Pakistan lacks inclusive and resilient land-use planning policies as well as frameworks to protect its inhabitants

Urbanization is an important driver of climate change. It changes the characteristics of biological and non-biological elements in and around urban areas. The response of ecosystems to urbanization and climate change is complex. It occurs on all temporal and spatial scales due to the interaction of resources, energy and information among social, natural and biological systems. However, the extent to

The increase in urban land surface temperature (LST) has become an environmental challenge to urban dwellers and policymakers. To adopt mitigation plans, prediction, and pattern recognition of future temperature is very essential approaches. Therefore this present study intended to simulate future LST patterns using artificial neural networks (ANN) and recognize its spatio-temporal pattern using three

Black carbon (BC) is produced due to the incomplete combustion of fossil fuels and rapidly accelerates the globe. The study of the source apportionment exploration of BC is inaccurate due to lacking observational limitations and uncertainties in emission inventories. In the present work, we measured BC mass concentrations using a 7-wavelength Aethalometer (AE-33). In this study, BC mass concentration

The strategies to contain the spread of COVID-19 pandemic, including restricted human movement and economic activities, have shown positive impacts on the environment. Present research analysed the effects of COVID-19 led lockdown on air quality with special reference to major pollutants, namely nitrogen dioxide (NO2), carbon monoxide (CO), sulphur dioxide (SO2) and aerosol optical depth (AOD). The

Heatwaves have been the deadliest weather extreme events in Europe in the last decades. People living in cities are especially prone to such events due to the urban heat island (UHI) effect which increases the heat stress in urban surroundings especially during calm, steady, and radiation intensive synoptic situations. Since official measurement stations in cities are scarce, studies on spatial patterns

Air pollution exposure is highest during travel than any other daily activity. Though numerous research articles exist on different factors that affect on-road air pollution exposure, a systematic review of these factors and the influence of air pollution exposure on travel behaviour is absent. This work attempts to bridge this gap by identifying 110 studies using the “Preferred Reporting Items for

Highly reflective “cool materials” are commonly used to reduce temperatures in the urban environment. Recently developed “super cool” materials feature an even higher albedo and emissivity (both above 0.95) than traditional cool materials. To examine the impacts of super cool roofing materials on outdoor air temperature compared to traditional cool roofs and green roofs, we conduct a sensitivity study

The detailed analysis of the urban microclimate calls for the use of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) tools able to model complex heat and mass transfer mechanisms. ENVI-met is one of the most used and reliable tools for microclimate analysis if an accurate calibration is performed. The calibration process is fundamental to have a reliable model in order to perform microclimate analysis, but requires

The aim of this study was to investigate the possible reduction of air and noise pollution due to the substituent of motorcycles and personal vehicles with bicycles by the theoretical phase and to compare the exposure of a cyclist to noise pollution in using different modes of transportation in the field phase. In the theoretical phase, different scenarios were designed based on a 25% and 50% reduction

Electrification of energy systems, including an increased percentage of electric vehicles on the road, is one of the primary paths to achieve zero carbon emissions. However, a reduced share of fossil fuel in transportation and industry requires a significant shift in power generation energy sources. Power generation from renewable sources is still limited and will be for the foreseeable future. Developing

We conducted this systematic review to identify and appraise studies investigating the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) effect on ambient air pollution status worldwide. The review of studies was conducted using determined search terms via three major electronic databases (PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus) according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA)

An air quality index (AQI) is calculated based on other atmospheric pollutants and interprets how polluted the air currently is. With increasing air pollution, implementing efficient air quality monitoring models that collect information about air pollution concentration and assess air pollution in each area is necessary. Prediction methods for air quality forecasting have attracted much attention

The disaster risk management cycle is a recognized instrument for managing disaster events and their impacts. However, the usefulness of the cycle has become questionable in diverse urban settings. Thus, this research uses a pragmatic approach to identify challenges in the effectiveness of the conventional disaster risk management cycle and its phases in the context of urban flooding in Pakistan. Institutions

One of the main tools for air quality management is the emission inventory of atmospheric air pollutants. The present work evaluated and quantified atmospheric emissions from vehicle sources for the state of Minas Gerais (Brazil). Using the top-down methodology, CO, NOX, SO2, NMHC, RCHO, and PM emissions were estimated for 2015. Of the six million vehicles accounted, 5291 t.year−1 (tonne per year)

The high-density urban boundary layer (UBL) is one of the most complex atmospheric conditions, while the field data of UBL is limited due to the lack of suitable measurement methods. To better understand the UBL structures in high-density cities, a pioneering investigation is conducted in Hong Kong by Doppler wind LiDAR. Vertical wind speed profiles are measured at three locations: Cape D'Aguilar (upwind)

Urbanization can induce land cover changes that impact land surface temperature (LST). Many factors can influence the magnitude of urban heat, such as vegetation and aerosols. This work uses linear correlation, composite analysis, multiple linear regression, and random forest to determine the leading controls on urban LST of Bengaluru, India in the dry and wet seasons during daytime and nighttime from

The study determines the impact of rooftop greening in an urban residential area in the microclimate context in Dhaka City Corporation, where the level of carbon sequestration from a green roof of an existing building and it's ability to reach the human comfort zone is focused. The study showed the nature of temperature variation between the green-roofed and bare-roofed buildings. Ten stations were