The impacts of urban heat island (UHI) phenomenon on energy consumption, air quality, and human health have been widely studied and described. The quantification of these impacts lead to the interest of the implementation of countermeasures to fight the phenomenon and the causes. A countermeasure with proven efficiency is the increase of urban albedo throughout cool materials in urban areas. In this study the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) mesoscale model has been used to simulate the urban climate of Terni (Italy). Terni is a city with a specific morphologic/orographic conformation and heavy industrial background. Terni’s registered hot temperatures and the related environmental and quality-of-life issues in the urban area have driven to reflect on the consequences of global warming and on the other hand to promote integrated actions to mitigate UHI effects and its intensification. Three different scenarios are analyzed. The Base Scenario is the control case. In the Albedo Scenario, the albedo of roof, walls and road of the whole urban area have been increased. In the Albedo-IND Scenario, the albedo of roof, walls and road of the area occupied by the main industrial site of Terni have been increased. The simulation results show that the UHI is decreased at day-time and at night-time up to 2°C both in Albedo and in Albedo-IND Scenarios. It would allow thus to reduce energy consumption and to improve air quality and human health in the city of Terni in summertime.
The effect of albedo increase to mitigate urban heat island in Terni (Italy) using WRF meteorological model
MORINI, ELENA;CASTELLANI, BEATRICE;ANDERINI, ELISABETTA;ROSSI, Federico;COTANA, Franco
2016
Abstract
The impacts of urban heat island (UHI) phenomenon on energy consumption, air quality, and human health have been widely studied and described. The quantification of these impacts lead to the interest of the implementation of countermeasures to fight the phenomenon and the causes. A countermeasure with proven efficiency is the increase of urban albedo throughout cool materials in urban areas. In this study the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) mesoscale model has been used to simulate the urban climate of Terni (Italy). Terni is a city with a specific morphologic/orographic conformation and heavy industrial background. Terni’s registered hot temperatures and the related environmental and quality-of-life issues in the urban area have driven to reflect on the consequences of global warming and on the other hand to promote integrated actions to mitigate UHI effects and its intensification. Three different scenarios are analyzed. The Base Scenario is the control case. In the Albedo Scenario, the albedo of roof, walls and road of the whole urban area have been increased. In the Albedo-IND Scenario, the albedo of roof, walls and road of the area occupied by the main industrial site of Terni have been increased. The simulation results show that the UHI is decreased at day-time and at night-time up to 2°C both in Albedo and in Albedo-IND Scenarios. It would allow thus to reduce energy consumption and to improve air quality and human health in the city of Terni in summertime.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
