Partner Event to be held on
06 December 2017
Blue Fin Venue, London
URBANFLUXES project information
The URBANFLUXES project will run two demonstration meetings on December 6, one for scientists and technical stakeholders, and one for decision-makers concerned with reducing urban heat, improving thermal comfort, and improving energy efficiency.
H2020-Space project URBANFLUXES (URBan ANthrpogenic heat FLUX from Earth observation Satellites) investigated the potential of Copernicus Sentinels to distinguish the human-caused heat fluxes as a key component of the Urban Energy Budget (UEB). URBANFLUXES aimed to advance the current knowledge of the impacts of UEB fluxes on the urban heat island effect and consequently on energy consumption in cities.
Please visit our publication section on our website http://urbanfluxes.eu/ for more detailed information on our activities. You can also access our station network of meteorological data for the three case study cities, Basel, London and Heraklion: http://urbanfluxes.eu/data/.
Demonstration event (AM): Methods to obtain anthropogenic heat maps in cities (08.30-14.00)
The morning URBANFLUXES demonstration event presents our methodology to estimate anthropogenic heat flux (QF) in urban areas using Earth Observation data. For better understanding and more accurate estimation of net all-wave radiation (Q*) in urban environments we used the discrete anisotropic radiative transfer (DART) model. The aerodynamic resistance method (ARM) was used to estimate the turbulent sensible and latent heat fluxes (QH, QE) and the Element Surface Temperature Method (ESTM) for the net change in heat storage (ΔQS). URBANFLUXES researchers used observed spatial and temporal patterns of Q*, QH and QE from tower-based networks of Eddy Covariance (London, Basel, Heraklion) and scintillometers (London) to constrain estimates of remaining UEB terms in the dense, heterogeneous urban environment. Results show that QH dominates the surface energy balance throughout the year, with expected diurnal courses and seasonal trends in magnitude related to solar radiation input. Measurements also reveal a clear anthropogenic component with weekday QH values 11.7% (winter) and 5.1% (summer) higher than weekends. The EO-based methodology revealed that there is a positive correlation between built and impervious land cover and increased residual fluxes and QF. Spatial patterns of QF can be used to identify specific hot-spot regions across the urban landscape. However, the residual method tends to produce unrealistic negative values of QF. This is caused due to the underestimation of QH by the ARM. Indirect evidence also suggests ΔQS is likely underestimated and contributes to overall uncertainty of QF, S.
Demonstration event (PM): How can cities reduce urban heat problems and energy losses? (13.00-17.00)
The afternoon URBANFLUXES demonstration event will discuss the relevance of the findings in the project for the planning and management of cities. The outcomes of the project are relevant for the development of tools and strategies to reduce urban heat, improve thermal comfort and increase energy efficiency. Especially in relation to global climate change, cities play a major role considering the impacts of extreme heat waves on the population. For urban planners, it is important to know which types of urban structures are beneficial for a comfortable urban climate and which actions can be taken to improve urban climate conditions. The increase in monitoring frequency by the ESA Sentinels also allow for monitoring of the effectiveness of measures to reduce urban heat and energy losses.