Uploaded on 2017-03-21 by Angie Ramon

How large is the canopy-layer urban heat island intensity in your city? 1. Where would you measure the maximum UHI intensity? On the basis of the information taken from the source mentioned below, I have chosen the following places: On a congested area in the city center: Alcalá Street On a wide forest area located in the city itself: Casa de Campo 2. When (at what time of the day) is the UHI intensity at its maximum? I have chosen these places because the city Council counts on the measurement stations, and provides daily more realistic results. So, March 14, 2017: A) At about 7 am: Casa de Campo 3.3 degrees C; Alcala Street 4 degrees C B) At about 19 hours: Casa de Campo 15 degrees C; Alcalá Street 17degrees C 3. How should you set-up the sensor? As I have said there is data available from municipal sources that are derived from two sources: means of remote sensing and data recorded by the weather station on the surface. First ones form one continuous structure whose density depends on the size of the image pixel. The latter ones are punctual data concerning the place where the meteorological station is located. In this case, the number and location of the stations is, apparently, considered to be an obstacle because official weather networks are aiming essentially to define regional climate. However, the Madrid Council have two weather networks, one belonging to the Atmospheric Pollution Vigilance Network (state) made up of nine stations, and the other Council's own network made up of seven. All of them provide daily updated information about changes in basic weather characteristics (air temperature and humidity, atmospheric. 4. How big is the temperature difference between where you measured the maximum urban temperature (location A) and the reference location (location B)? The difference between the maximum urban temperature measured in city center and the reference location in a city wooded area is 2 degrees C. 5. Can you explain the difference? a. What are possible influences of the immediate surroundings where measurements were taken? As can be seen from graph by UPM included above, the isotherms display a concentric trend from the city center, warmer, toward the periphery, cooler. Casa de Campo, west, and Retiro Park – close to where I have chosen as location A - inside the city, appear to be cool zones, breaking the regular delineation. However, proximity to the Retiro Park doesn’t manage to minimize effects of UHI on Alcala Street, particularly in the summer, due to superficial UHI which takes into account the thermal values of most common urban materials, like asphalt and concrete in pavements, sidewalks, the roofs of buildings etc. which store heat during daytime and release it into the urban atmosphere during the night. These materials, combined with the road network layout, modify radiation balances between floor and air, reduces soil evaporation, increase surface runoff and reduce wind speed but not turbulence. b. What influence does the weather have on the measurement? (e.g. season, the wind, clouds etc.) The truth is that the present work is made in winter near the spring and Madrid has an extreme and continental climate, with an oscillation of half temperature from summer to winter of 26 degrees C, even though winters are not as cold as they used to be. That's why, at this very moment, the temperature difference is not very large between two locations. In summer there is a relevant increase of UHI, particularly significant on maximum values and there was also an increase of the affected area by very intense UHI, - higher than 6 degrees C – in warmer periods. 6. Can you elaborate on a number of interventions against the UHI in your city, which are carried out by different actors? (e.g. government, city council, private initiative etc.). In case you cannot find interventions to prevent UHI in your city, can you think of possible interventions? The city Council of Madrid has launched this year an Air Quality and Climate Change Plan which, among other things, includes a specific action about building renovation, suitability of public spaces, studies on the small scale, local, energy production, green and proximity mobility, water and materials management and renaturation of the city and reforestation of degraded areas At a building level, it would encourage implementation of green roofs, especially in municipal buildings to promote a spread of innovation and awareness of renewable energy. Another action concerns efficient heating/cooling systems with low-emissions