Abstract
Urban areas are known to modify meteorological variables producing important differences in small spatial scales (i.e. microscale). These affect human thermal comfort conditions and the dispersion of pollutants, especially those emitted inside the urban area, which finally influence quality of life and the use of public open spaces. In this study, the diurnal evolution of meteorological variables measured in four urban spaces is compared with the results provided by ENVI-met (v 4.0). Measurements were carried out during 3 days with different meteorological conditions in Bilbao in the north of the Iberian Peninsula. The evaluation of the model accuracy (i.e. the degree to which modelled values approach measured values) was carried out with several quantitative difference metrics. The results for air temperature and humidity show a good agreement of measured and modelled values independently of the regional meteorological conditions. However, in the case of mean radiant temperature and wind speed, relevant differences are encountered highlighting the limitation of the model to estimate these meteorological variables precisely during diurnal cycles, in the considered evaluation conditions (sites and weather).
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Acero JA, Arrizabalaga J, Kupski S, Katzschner L (2013a) Deriving an urban climate map in coastal areas with complex terrain in the Basque Country (Spain). Urban Clim 4:35–60. doi:10.1016/j.uclim.2013.02.002
Acero JA, Arrizabalaga J, Kupski S, Katzschner L (2013b) Urban heat island in a coastal urban area in northern Spain. Theor Appl Climatol 113:137–154. doi:10.1007/s00704-012-0774-z
Acero JA, Herranz-Pascual K (2015) A comparison of thermal comfort conditions in four urban spaces by means of measurements and modelling techniques. Build Environ 93:245–257. doi:10.1016/j.buildenv.2015.06.028
Akbari H, Pomerantz M, Taha H (2001) Cool surfaces and shade trees to reduce energy use and improve air quality in urban areas. Sol Energy 70:295–310. doi:10.1016/S0038-092X(00)00089-X
Ali-Toudert F, Mayer H (2007a) Thermal comfort in an east-west oriented street canyon in Freiburg (Germany) under hot summer conditions. Theor Appl Climatol 87:223–237. doi:10.1007/s00704-005-0194-4
Ali-Toudert F, Mayer H (2007b) Effects of asymmetry, galleries, overhanging façades and vegetation on thermal comfort in urban street canyons. Sol Energy 81:742–754. doi:10.1016/j.solener.2006.10.007
Ali-Toudert F, Mayer H (2006) Numerical study on the effects of aspect ratio and orientation of an urban street canyon on outdoor thermal comfort in hot and dry climate. Build Environ 41:94–108. doi:10.1016/j.buildenv.2005.01.013
Allegrini J, Dorer V, Carmeliet J (2015) Influence of morphologies on the microclimate in urban neighbourhoods. J Wind Eng Ind Aerodyn 144:108–117. doi:10.1016/j.jweia.2015.03.024
Boumans RJM, Phillips DL, Victery W, Fontaine TD (2014) Developing a model for effects of climate change on human health and health–environment interactions: heat stress in Austin, Texas. Urban Clim 8:78–99. doi:10.1016/j.uclim.2014.03.001
Bourbia F, Awbi HB (2004) Building cluster and shading in urban canyon for hot dry climate part 1: air and surface temperature measurements. Renew Energy 29:249–262. doi:10.1016/S0960-1481(03)00170-8
Bruse M (2014) ENVI-met 4. http://www.envi-met.info
Bruse M, Fleer H (1998) Simulating surface-plant-air interactions inside urban environments with a three dimensional numerical model. Environ Model Softw 13:373–384. doi:10.1016/S1364-8152(98)00042-5
Carnielo E, Zinzi M (2013) Optical and thermal characterisation of cool asphalts to mitigate urban temperatures and building cooling demand. Build Environ 60:56–65. doi:10.1016/j.buildenv.2012.11.004
Charabi Y, Bakhit A (2011) Assessment of the canopy urban heat island of a coastal arid tropical city: the case of Muscat, Oman. Atmos Res 101:215–227. doi:10.1016/j.atmosres.2011.02.010
Chow WTL, Pope RL, Martin CA, Brazel AJ (2011) Observing and modeling the nocturnal park cool island of an arid city: horizontal and vertical impacts. Theor Appl Climatol 103:197–211. doi:10.1007/s00704-010-0293-8
Cui L, Shi J (2012) Urbanization and its environmental effects in shanghai, China. Urban Clim 2:1–15. doi:10.1016/j.uclim.2012.10.008
Davenport A (1960) Rationale for determining design wind velocities. Amer Soc Civ Eng Struct Div J 86:39–68
De Dear R (1987) Png-pong globe thermometers for mean radiant temperatures. Heat Vent Eng J Air Cond 60:10–11
Doulos L, Santamouris M, Livada I (2004) Passive cooling of outdoor urban spaces. The role of materials. Sol Energy 77:231–249. doi:10.1016/j.solener.2004.04.005
Euskalmet (2012) Basque Meteorological Agency Climate variables analysis: cloud cover. http://www.euskalmet.euskadi.net/s07-5853x/es/contenidos/informacion/ana_cobertura/es_7271/es_cobertura.html. Accessed Oct 2012
Fahmy M, Sharples S (2009) On the development of an urban passive thermal comfort system in Cairo, Egypt. Build Environ 44:1907–1916. doi:10.1016/j.buildenv.2009.01.010
Figuerola PI, Mazzeo NA (1998) Urban-rural temperature differences in Buenos Aires. Int J Climatol 18:1709–1723. doi:10.1002/(SICI)1097-0088(199812)18:15<1709::AID-JOC338>3.0.CO;2-I
Gromke C, Blocken B, Janssen W et al (2015) CFD analysis of transpirational cooling by vegetation: case study for specific meteorological conditions during a heat wave in Arnhem, Netherlands. Build Environ 83:11–26. doi:10.1016/j.buildenv.2014.04.022
Heidarinejad M, Gracik S, Sadeghipour Roudsari M et al (2016) Influence of building surface solar irradiance on environmental temperatures in urban neighborhoods. Sustain Cities Soc 26:186–202. doi:10.1016/j.scs.2016.06.011
Holst J, Mayer H (2011) Impacts of street design parameters on human-biometeorological variables. Meteorol Zeitschrift 20:541–552. doi:10.1127/0941-2948/2011/0254
Huttner S (2012) Further development and application of the 3D microclimate simulation ENVI-met. University of Mainz
Jänicke B, Meier F, Hoelscher M-T, Scherer D (2015) Evaluating the effects of façade greening on human bioclimate in a complex urban environment. Adv Meteorol article ID:1–15. doi:10.1155/2015/747259
Ketterer C, Matzarakis A (2014a) Human-biometeorological assessment of heat stress reduction by replanning measures in Stuttgart, Germany. Landsc Urban Plan 122:78–88. doi:10.1016/j.landurbplan.2013.11.003
Ketterer C, Matzarakis A (2014b) Comparison of different methods for the assessment of the urban heat island in Stuttgart, Germany. Int J Biometeorol. doi:10.1007/s00484-014-0940-3
Kolokotroni M, Giannitsaris I, Watkins R (2006) The effect of the London Urban Heat Island on building summer cooling demand and night ventilation strategies. Sol Energy 80:383–392
Krüger EL, Minella FO, Rasia F (2011) Impact of urban geometry on outdoor thermal comfort and air quality from field measurements in Curitiba, Brazil. Build Environ 46:621–634. doi:10.1016/j.buildenv.2010.09.006
Lee H, Holst J, Mayer H (2013) Modification of human-biometeorologically significant radiant flux densities by shading as local method to mitigate heat stress in summer within urban street canyons. Adv Meteorol 2013:1–13. doi:10.1155/2013/312572
Lee H, Mayer H (2016) Validation of the mean radiant temperature simulated by the RayMan software in urban environments. Int J Biometeorol. doi:10.1007/s00484-016-1166-3
Lee H, Mayer H, Chen L (2016) Contribution of trees and grasslands to the mitigation of human heat stress in a residential district of Freiburg, Southwest Germany. Landsc Urban Plan 148:37–50. doi:10.1016/j.landurbplan.2015.12.004
Lee H, Mayer H, Schindler D (2014) Importance of 3-D radiant flux densities for outdoor human thermal comfort on clear-sky summer days in Freiburg, Southwest Germany. Meteorol Zeitschrift 23:315–330. doi:10.1127/0941-2948/2014/0536
Lindberg F (2014) SOLWEIG1D—user manual. http://www.gvc.gu.se/digitalAssets/1485/1485013_solweig1d-user-manual.pdf
Lindberg F, Holmer B, Thorsson S (2008) SOLWEIG 1.0—modelling spatial variations of 3D radiant fluxes and mean radiant temperature in complex urban settings. Int J Biometeorol 52:697–713. doi:10.1007/s00484-008-0162-7
Lopes A, Lopes S, Matzarakis A, Alcoforado MJ (2011) The influence of the summer sea breeze on thermal comfort in Funchal (Madeira). A contribution to tourism and urban planning. Meteorol Zeitschrift 20:553–564. doi:10.1127/0941-2948/2011/0248
Matzarakis A, Rutz F, Mayer H (2007) Modelling radiation fluxes in simple and complex environments—application of the RayMan model. Int J Biometeorol 51:323–334. doi:10.1007/s00484-006-0061-8
Mayer H, Holst J, Dostal P et al (2008) Human thermal comfort in summer within an urban street canyon in Central Europe. Meteorol Zeitschrift 17:241–250. doi:10.1127/0941-2948/2008/0285
Millán MM, Alonso LA, Legarreta JA et al (1984) A fumigation episode in an industrialized estuary: Bilbao, November 1981. Atmos Environ 18:563–572
Millán MM, Otamendi E, Alonso LA, Ureta I (1987) Experimental characterization of atmospheric diffusion in complex terrain with land-sea interactions. JAPCA 37:807–811
Müller N, Kuttler W, Barlag A-B (2013) Counteracting urban climate change: adaptation measures and their effect on thermal comfort. Theor Appl Climatol 115:243–257. doi:10.1007/s00704-013-0890-4
Ng E (2009) Policies and technical guidelines for urban planning of high-density cities—air ventilation assessment (AVA) of Hong Kong. Build Environ 44:1478–1488. doi:10.1016/j.buildenv.2008.06.013
Ng E, Chen L, Wang Y, Yuan C (2012) A study on the cooling effects of greening in a high-density city: an experience from Hong Kong. Build Environ 47:256–271. doi:10.1016/j.buildenv.2011.07.014
Oke TR (1987) Boundary layer climates. Routledge, New York
Oliveira S, Andrade H, Vaz T (2011) The cooling effect of green spaces as a contribution to the mitigation of urban heat: a case study in Lisbon. Build Environ 46:2186–2194. doi:10.1016/j.buildenv.2011.04.034
Parsons K (2003) Human thermal environments: the effect of hot, moderate, and cold environments on human health, comfort and performance. Taylor & Francis, London, New York
Ren C, Ng EY, Katzschner L (2011) Urban climatic map studies: a review. Int J Climatol 31:2213–2233. doi:10.1002/joc.2237
Richards TL, Dragert H, McIntyre DR (1966) Influence of atmospheric stability and over water fetch on winds over the Great Lakes. Mon Wea Rev 94:448–553
Santamouris M, Papanikolaou N, Koronakis I et al (1999) Thermal and air flow characteristics in a deep pedestrian canyon under hot weather conditions. Atmos Environ 33:4503–4521
Santiago JL, Krayenhoff ES, Martilli A (2014) Flow simulations for simplified urban configurations with microscale distributions of surface thermal forcing. Urban Clim 9:115–133. doi:10.1016/j.uclim.2014.07.008
Song B, Park K, Jung S (2014) Validation of ENVI-met model with in situ measurements considering spatial characteristics of land use types. J Korean Assoc Geog Inf Stud 17:156–172
Streiling S, Matzarakis A (2003) Influence of single and small clusters of trees on the bioclimate of a city: a case study. J Arboric 29:309–316
Thorsson S, Lindberg F, Björklund J et al (2011) Potential changes in outdoor thermal comfort conditions in Gothenburg, Sweden due to climate change: the influence of urban geometry. Int J Climatol 31:324–335. doi:10.1002/joc.2231
Thorsson S, Lindberg F, Eliasson I, Holmer B (2007) Different methods for estimating the mean radiant temperature in an outdoor urban setting. In: International Journal of Climatology. p 1983–1993
Wang X, Li Y (2016) Predicting urban Heat Island circulation using CFD. Build Environ 99:82–97. doi:10.1016/j.buildenv.2016.01.020
Willmott C (1982) Some comments on the evaluation of model performance. B Am Meteorol Soc 63:1309–1369
Yan H, Wang X, Hao P, Dong L (2012) Study on the microclimatic characteristics and human comfort of park plant communities in summer. Procedia Environ Sci 13:755–765
Yang F, Lau SSY, Qian F (2011) Thermal comfort effects of urban design strategies in high-rise urban environments in a sub-tropical climate. Archit Sci Rev 54:285–304
Yang X, Zhao L, Bruse M, Meng Q (2013) Evaluation of a microclimate model for predicting the thermal behavior of different ground surfaces. Build Environ 60:93–104. doi:10.1016/j.buildenv.2012.11.008
Acknowledgments
The authors would like to acknowledge Dipl. German Fernandez for the help with the measuring devices and Dipl. Lexuri Yurrebaso for the help during the measurement campaigns. Meteorological data was provided by the Environmental Department and the Basque Meteorological Agency in the Basque Country (Spain). The work leading to these results has received funding from (a) the Basque Government’s ETORTEK programme within the framework of the Basque Science, Technology and Innovation Plan 2010 under the Project K-Egokitzen (2007–2011),and (b) the European Community’s Seventh Framework Programme under Grant Agreement No. 308497, Project RAMSES—Reconciling Adaptation, Mitigation and Sustainable Development for Cities (2012–2016).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
Highlights
- ENVI-met Tmrt and WS estimations are not accurate in the conditions of the study.
- ENVI-met Version 4.0 improves Version 3.1 output values of air temperature and humidity.
- It is relevant to know model limitations for micrometeorological assessment procedures.
Electronic supplementary material
ESM 1
(PDF 687 kb)
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Acero, J.A., Arrizabalaga, J. Evaluating the performance of ENVI-met model in diurnal cycles for different meteorological conditions. Theor Appl Climatol 131, 455–469 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00704-016-1971-y
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00704-016-1971-y