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A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Sustainable Urban and Rural Development".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 October 2023) | Viewed by 17498

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Dr. Dimitra Founda

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Guest Editor

Institute for Environmental Research and Sustainable Development, National Observatory of Athens, 11810 Athens, Greece
Interests: Meteorology; Climatology; Climate Change; Climatic Time Series Analysis; Urban Climate; Atmospheric Boundary Layer (ABL); Atmospheric Circulation; Turbulent Wind flows; Wind flows modeling
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Dr. George Katavoutas

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Guest Editor

Institute for Environmental Research and Sustainable Development, National Observatory of Athens, 11810 Athens, Greece
Interests: human biometeorology; thermal comfort; urban thermal environment; urban climate; applied climatology

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Climate change is one of the biggest threats for our planet, with profound adverse impacts on humans and the natural environment. Along with increases in annual average temperatures, many regions of the globe have witnessed unprecedented extreme weather and record breaking high temperatures over the past few decades, while climate models project more frequent extreme heat in the coming decades. Accelerating global warming interacts with other global trends such as increasing urbanization. Today, more than half the global population lives in cities, while growing urbanization will add another 2.5 billion people to urban areas by 2050. More than 40% of the population is expected to live in cities of at least half a million people. The built environment induces urban heat island effects that shape warmer conditions in cities compared to surrounding rural areas, thus intensifying the effects of global/regional warming. Compound effects of global warming and urban heat islands constitute a growing threat for urban populations, which are at the highest risk of heat-related impacts. Although extreme heat is already affecting almost 2 billion urban residents worldwide, further urban populations will very likely be exposed to further increased thermal risk in the near future. Ongoing global warming is projected to result in more frequent hot weather and more intense and long-lasting heat waves. The increase in global air temperature above 1.5 ^oC is expected to increase dramatically the exposure of population to severe heat, especially in cities impacted by heat islands. This, combined with other socioeconomic components affecting population vulnerability (e.g., population aging, energy poverty and others) will pose serious threat to public health of urban residents and local economies.

This Special Issue aims to address and provide new insight into the heat-related threat in cities, arising from the combined effect of global/regional warming and heat islands. It is expected to further explore and increase our understanding on the complex interactions and relationships between global/regional warming and urban climates at different time and space scales. We welcome original research studies covering a wide range of interdisciplinary scientific topics, such as

Observed/projected effects of global warming and urban effect on thermal conditions in cities;
The contribution of climate change and heat islands on heat exposure;
Future climate change projections at city scale;
The response of urban temperatures to future urbanization and climate change;
The response of urban heat stress under climate change scenarios;
Interactions/feedbacks between urban heat islands and extreme temperatures (heat waves);
Heat-related health impacts in urban areas due to climate change;
Mapping urban heat (exposure, vulnerability, risk);
Hotspot cities in relevance to (observed/projected) heat exposure and thermal risk.

Dr. Dimitra Founda
Dr. George Katavoutas
Guest Editors

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Keywords

climate change
climate models
urban climate
urban heat islands
heat exposure
thermal risk
heat stress
extreme heat
heat waves

Published Papers (11 papers)

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Research

21 pages, 10986 KiB

Open AccessArticle

High Resolution WRF Modelling of Extreme Heat Events and Mapping of the Urban Heat Island Characteristics in Athens, Greece

by Nikolaos Roukounakis, Konstantinos V. Varotsos, Dimitrios Katsanos, Ioannis Lemesios, Christos Giannakopoulos and Adrianos Retalis

Sustainability 2023, 15(23), 16509; https://doi.org/10.3390/su152316509 - 2 Dec 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1172

Abstract

In recent decades, large-scale urbanisation has developed rapidly, resulting in significant changes in the local and regional environment and climate. Large metropolitan areas worldwide induce significant changes in local atmospheric circulation and boundary layer meteorology by modifying the underlying surface characteristics and through the emission of anthropogenic heat and pollutants into the atmosphere. We investigate the urban heat island (UHI) characteristics in the city of Athens, Greece, which is one of Europe’s largest metropolitan complexes with a population of approximately 3.7 million inhabitants. The UHI effect is intense due to the city’s size, dense construction, high incident solar radiation, and almost complete lack of natural vegetation, with previous studies suggesting a temperature rise of 4 °C on average in the city centre compared to summer background conditions. We used high-resolution WRF simulations (1-km horizontal grid) driven with ERA5 reanalysis data to produce surface temperature maps in the city of Athens and the surrounding areas (Region of Attiki) during the summer period of 1 July–20 August 2021. Different model parameterizations were tested, both with respect to urban characteristics and physical parameters. The daily minimum and maximum temperatures (T_min and T_max) derived from the model were validated against observational data from a dense network of weather stations covering metropolitan Athens and surrounding locations. We further investigate the influence of different meteorological conditions on the UHI gradients as produced by the model and the observational dataset, including the extreme heat wave of 28 July–5 August 2021, during which persistent maximum temperatures of >40 °C were recorded for nine consecutive days. The results indicate a strong correlation between WRF output and recorded minimum and maximum temperatures throughout the test period (R ranges from 0.80 to 0.93), with an average mean absolute bias (MAB) of 1.5 °C, and reveal the intensity and spatiotemporal variability of the UHI phenomenon in the city of Athens, with UHI magnitude reaching 8–9 °C at times. Our work aims to maximise the potential of using high-resolution WRF modelling for simulating extreme heat events and mapping the UHI effect in large metropolitan complexes. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Climate Change and Urban Thermal Effects)

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23 pages, 19172 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Assessment of Land Surface Temperature from the Indian Cities of Ranchi and Dhanbad during COVID-19 Lockdown: Implications on the Urban Climatology

by S. M. Talha Qadri, Ateeb Hamdan, Veena Raj, Muhsan Ehsan, Norazanita Shamsuddin, Mohammed Hail Hakimi and Khairul Azlan Mustapha

Sustainability 2023, 15(17), 12961; https://doi.org/10.3390/su151712961 - 28 Aug 2023

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1508

Abstract

An apparent increase in average global temperature is evident globally, and India is no exception. With the recent decade (2011–2020) arguably being the warmest, significant challenges due to rapid climate change have gained attention. However, notable spatial-temporal changes, especially with regard to land surface temperature (LST), were observed during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown period, when a comparatively cooler climate was experienced in many urban centers. Assessment of LST, crucial in many heat-balance, land use, and climate change models research studies, depicts the near-surface hotness of the Earth’s temperature at a given location. Thus, this study utilizes satellite remote-sensing data to investigate the spatial-temporal variations of LST pre and post-lockdown imposed during the COVID-19 outbreak. Unlike many existing research studies on the metropolitans of India, the study considers developing Indian cities, Ranchi and Dhanbad, as its study area. Accurate LST computation was performed using existing LANDSAT-8 OLI/TIRS images and judged using other parameters (NDVI, LSE) obtained directly from the thermal infrared bands. The LST assessment successfully estimated temperature variations in Ranchi and Dhanbad, depicting a significant drop in temperature coinciding with the lockdown period and subsequent increase in urban temperature post-pandemic, indicating a meaningful relationship between human activities and urban surface temperature. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Climate Change and Urban Thermal Effects)

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17 pages, 4319 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Application of a Semi-Empirical Approach to Map Maximum Urban Heat Island Intensity in Singapore

by Beatriz Sanchez, Matthias Roth, Pratiman Patel and Andrés Simón-Moral

Sustainability 2023, 15(17), 12834; https://doi.org/10.3390/su151712834 - 24 Aug 2023

Viewed by 1337

Abstract

Differences in land surface characteristics across a city produce great spatial and temporal variability in air temperature. This fact is particularly pronounced between urban and surrounding rural areas giving rise to the canopy-layer urban heat island (CL-UHI) phenomenon. In the present study, we apply the dimensional analysis technique to develop a simple semi-empirical equation to map daily maximum CL-UHI (UHI_max) intensities during nighttime over the city of Singapore for specific weather conditions. By adopting the methodology proposed by Theeuwes et al., but selecting meteorological and morphological parameters that affect UHI_max intensity most for Singapore, evaluation of the developed equation shows good agreement with observations (RMSE = 1.13 K and IOA = 0.76). Model performance depends strongly on wind conditions and is best during weak winds when ‘ideal’ conditions for UHI development are approached (RMSE = 0.65 K and IOA = 0.85). Results using the simple equation developed to map UHI_max intensities in Singapore under dry weather conditions are comparable to those obtained from more sophisticated numerical models, which demand significant computational resources, and the complex parameterizations involved require expertise to carry out the simulations. The resulting maps of the present study can be used to investigate less favorable thermal conditions and assess population vulnerability to a certain temperature excess, as well as provide insights for urban planning strategies of mitigation measures according to the land cover and morphology of a location. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Climate Change and Urban Thermal Effects)

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19 pages, 3876 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Diurnal Temperature Range and Its Response to Heat Waves in 16 European Cities—Current and Future Trends

by George Katavoutas, Dimitra Founda, Konstantinos V. Varotsos and Christos Giannakopoulos

Sustainability 2023, 15(17), 12715; https://doi.org/10.3390/su151712715 - 22 Aug 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2333

Abstract

An important indicator of climate change is the diurnal temperature range (DTR), defined as the difference between the daily maximum and daily minimum air temperature. This study aims to investigate the DTR distribution in European cities of different background climates in relation to the season of the year, climate class and latitude, as well as its response to exceptionally hot weather. The analysis is based on long-term observational records (1961–2019) coupled with Regional Climate Model (RCM) data in order to detect any projected DTR trends by the end of the 21st century under intermediate and high emission greenhouse gases (GHGs) scenarios. The analysis reveals marked variations in the magnitude of DTR values between the cities, on the one hand, and distinct patterns of the DTR distribution according to the climate class of each city, on the other. The results also indicate strong seasonal variability in most of the cities, except for the Mediterranean coastal ones. DTR is found to increase during hot days and heat wave (HW) days compared to summer normal days. High latitude cities experience higher increases (3.7 °C to 5.7 °C for hot days, 3.1 °C to 5.7 °C for HW days) compared to low latitude cities (1.3 °C to 3.6 °C for hot days, 0.5 °C to 3.4 °C for HW days). The DTR is projected to significantly decrease in northernmost cities (Helsinki, Stockholm, Oslo), while it is expected to significantly increase in Madrid by the end of the 21st century under both the intermediate- and high-emission scenarios, due to the asymmetric temperature change. The asymmetrical response of global warming is more pronounced under the high-emission scenario where more cities at higher latitudes (Warsaw, Berlin, Rotterdam) are added to those with a statistically significant decrease in DTR, while others (Bucharest, Nicosia, Zurich) are added to those with an increase in DTR. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Climate Change and Urban Thermal Effects)

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11 pages, 4174 KiB

Open AccessCommunication

Differential Stomatal Responses to Surface Permeability by Sympatric Urban Tree Species Advance Novel Mitigation Strategy for Urban Heat Islands

by Anette Shekanino, Avaleen Agustin, Annette Aladefa, Jason Amezquita, Demetri Gonzalez, Emily Heldenbrand, Alyssa Hernandez, Maximus May, Anthony Nuno, Joshua Ojeda, Ashley Ortiz, Taylor Puno, Jennifer Quinones, Jade Remillard, Jasmine Reola, Janisa Rojo, Isaiah Solis, Justin Wang, Adrian Yepez, Crystal Zaragoza and Víctor D. Carmona-Galindo Show full author list Hide full author list

Sustainability 2023, 15(15), 11942; https://doi.org/10.3390/su151511942 - 3 Aug 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1844

Abstract

As urbanization draws more people to metropolitan areas, a steadfast increase in impervious surfaces ultimately contributes to a pronounced urban heat island effect. While city greening strategies to mitigate urban thermal effects often tout street-tree cover expansion, many plant species are susceptible to heat stress, limiting survivorship, primary productivity, and ecosystem services. Our research objective was to characterize how urban imperviousness impacted the photosynthetic traits of four sympatric tree species in Old Town La Verne, California. We found that while Camphor trees (Camphora officinarum) and Carrotwood trees (Cupaniopsis anacardioides) did not differ significantly in photosynthetic traits at sites with impervious and pervious surfaces, both Coast Live Oak trees (Quercus agrifolia) and Olive trees (Olea europaea) showed significant differences in leaf stomatal length and density. Our findings suggest that the photosynthetic traits of some exotic tree species may be less susceptible to surface permeability than either native or floristically indigenous tree species. We propose that urban greening initiatives adopt a temporal strategy for mitigating urban heat island effects, starting with an urban canopy composed of exotic trees more resilient to impervious surfaces and later transitioning to a recombinant canopy ecology of floristically relevant tree species suited for the soil permeability native to southern California. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Climate Change and Urban Thermal Effects)

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15 pages, 4707 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Evaluating the Spatial and Temporal Characteristics of Summer Urban Overheating through Weather Types in the Attica Region, Greece

by Ilias Petrou, Nikolaos Kyriazis and Pavlos Kassomenos

Sustainability 2023, 15(13), 10633; https://doi.org/10.3390/su151310633 - 5 Jul 2023

Viewed by 1059

Abstract

In this study, we investigated the association between weather type (WT) and urban heat island intensity (UHII) in the region of Attica (Greece). The application of the methodology resulted in ten WTs over the Attica region. The UHII was calculated for every hour of the day from 2008 to 2017, using a new air temperature dataset produced by Copernicus Climate Change Service. To obtain more definitive findings about the relationship between WTs and UHII, we also used the upper 5% of UHII (urban overheating, UO). UO was estimated for two time intervals (daytime and nighttime) and for the warm period (June–September). The UHII frequency distribution, as well as the spatiotemporal characteristics of the UO, were also investigated. It was found that UO was amplified under WT2 during the night, while WT10 was mainly related to increased UO magnitudes in the daytime in all months. Furthermore, analysis results revealed that the UO effect is more pronounced in Athens during the night, especially at the Athens center. The daytime hot spots identified were mainly in suburban and rural areas. Therefore, this methodology may help with heat mitigation strategies and climate adaptation measures in urban environments. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Climate Change and Urban Thermal Effects)

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20 pages, 36173 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Spatial Distribution and Future Projections of Thermal Comfort Conditions during the Hot Period of the Year in Diyarbakır City, Southeastern Turkey

by Savaş Çağlak and Murat Türkeş

Sustainability 2023, 15(13), 10473; https://doi.org/10.3390/su151310473 - 3 Jul 2023

Viewed by 1134

Abstract

Cities are highly vulnerable areas affected by climate change. For sustainable urbanization, it is of great importance to determine the thermal conditions in cities and to make predictions for the future. Therefore, in this study, the spatial distribution of the thermal comfort conditions in the city of Diyarbakır, located in the southeastern Turkey, during the hot period of the year is explained and predictions for the future are made. In the study, measurement data from meteorological stations and the data of the SSP-2 and SSP-5 scenarios were used. Thermal comfort conditions were determined according to the PET (physiological equivalent temperature) index using RayMan software. The ArcGIS 10.5 program was used for defining the spatial distribution of thermal comfort conditions. As a result of the study, it is seen that the areas with dense construction and a low amount of green area in the old urbanized area, which is the central business district (CBD), have uncomfortable conditions. It is predicted that uncomfortable areas will increase in the near and distant future and threaten human health. For climate-resilient, healthy, and comfortable cities that can adapt to adverse effects of climate change, urban design and planning should be carried out with a holistic perspective. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Climate Change and Urban Thermal Effects)

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23 pages, 15371 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Evaluation and Analysis of the Effectiveness of the Main Mitigation Measures against Surface Urban Heat Islands in Different Local Climate Zones through Remote Sensing

by David Hidalgo García

Sustainability 2023, 15(13), 10410; https://doi.org/10.3390/su151310410 - 1 Jul 2023

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1225

Abstract

The significant transformation of land use as a consequence of current population growth, together with global warming (atmospheric emissions and extreme weather events), is generating increases in ambient temperatures. This circumstance is affecting people’s quality of life, especially those considered more vulnerable or with fewer economic resources. Currently, 30% of the world’s population suffers climatic conditions of extreme heat, and forecasts indicate that in the next 20 years, this number will reach 74%. The present study analyzes the effectiveness of the main mitigation strategies for the surface urban heat island (SUHI) effect between the years 2002 and 2022 in the different local climate zones of the city of Granada (Spain). Using Landsat 5 and 8 images, the evolution experienced by the land surface temperature and the surface urban heat island was determined and connected to the following variables: normalized difference vegetation index, vegetal proportion, normalized difference building index, and albedo. Our results indicate that compact and industrial areas have higher temperatures and lower vegetation and albedo in contrast to open areas, which have lower temperatures and higher vegetation and albedo. The mitigation measures analyzed presented similar efficiencies, but a greater minimization of the SUHI was reported when vegetation was increased in open areas as opposed to in closed areas, where the increase in albedo was more effective. Our study will allow the implementation of more efficient measures based on the types of LCZs in cities. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Climate Change and Urban Thermal Effects)

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17 pages, 5791 KiB

Open AccessArticle

On the Use of Reanalysis Data to Reconstruct Missing Observed Daily Temperatures in Europe over a Lengthy Period of Time

by Konstantinos V. Varotsos, George Katavoutas and Christos Giannakopoulos

Sustainability 2023, 15(9), 7081; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15097081 - 23 Apr 2023

Viewed by 1272

Abstract

In this study, a methodology that can reconstruct missing daily values of maximum and minimum temperatures over a long time period under the assumption of a sparse network of meteorological stations is described. To achieve this, a well-established software used for quality control, homogenization and the infilling of missing climatological series data, Climatol, is used to combine a mosaic of data, including daily observations from 15 European stations and daily data from two high-resolution reanalysis datasets, ERA5-Land and MESCAN-SURFEX; this is in order reconstruct daily values over the 2000–2018 period. By comparing frequently used indices, defined by the Expert Team on Climate Change Detection and Indices (ETCCDI) in studies of climate change assessment and goodness-of-fit measures, the reconstructed time series are evaluated against the observed ones. The analysis reveals that the ERA5-Land reconstructions outperform the MESCAN-SURFEX ones when compared to the observations in terms of biases, the various indices evaluated, and in terms of the goodness of fit for both the daily maximum and minimum temperatures. In addition, the magnitude and significance of the observed long-term temporal trends maintained in the reconstructions, in the majority of the stations examined, for both the daily maximum and daily minimum temperatures, is an issue of the greatest relevance in many climatic studies. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Climate Change and Urban Thermal Effects)

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19 pages, 1454 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Land, Water, and Climate Issues in Large and Megacities under the Lens of Nuclear Science: An Approach for Achieving Sustainable Development Goal (SDG11)

by Elaine Aparecida Rodrigues, Maurício Lamano Ferreira, Amanda Rodrigues de Carvalho, José Oscar William Vega Bustillos, Rodrigo Antonio Braga Moraes Victor, Marcelo Gomes Sodré and Delvonei Alves de Andrade

Sustainability 2022, 14(20), 13646; https://doi.org/10.3390/su142013646 - 21 Oct 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1910

Abstract

Nuclear science and technology (NST) offers a multitude of applications and tools and has a high level of regulation. However, its contribution to the achievement of global development goals is still incipient. Although its application is directly related to many fields, especially sustainability, the current literature does not relate it to socio-environmental issues, hindering the adoption of public policies based on isotopic and nuclear solutions. In large and megacities, the promotion of human well-being and the conservation of ecosystems are urgent global challenges, especially as a function of the growing expansion of land use modification, water scarcity, and climate change. The relationship between society and NST is addressed in this study, which aims to show how and in what ways the emerging and innovative nuclear and isotopic solutions contribute to the urban dimension of the United Nations 2030 Agenda, expressed by SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities), and its connection to land, water, and climate change in cities. This gap in knowledge compromises the targeting of resources to improve NST as a development strategy. Demystifying NST and increasing collaboration between ecosystem services and other issues related to sustainability in cities are key to implementing global development policies, especially at the local governance level. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Climate Change and Urban Thermal Effects)

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24 pages, 7099 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Spatiotemporal Analysis of Urban Thermal Effects Caused by Heat Waves through Remote Sensing

by David Hidalgo García, Julián Arco Díaz, Adelaida Martín Martín and Emilio Gómez Cobos

Sustainability 2022, 14(19), 12262; https://doi.org/10.3390/su141912262 - 27 Sep 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1588

Abstract

In recent years there has been an increase in the number of extreme weather events that lead to higher mortality, such as heat waves. This study carries out a new investigation that integrates the environmental quality parameters—the Surface Urban Heat Island (SUHI) and the Terrestrial Surface Temperature (LST)—during these periods of high temperatures and compares them with normal periods. The study of the relationship between these variables will allow improving the quality of life through new mitigation measures that will minimize the effects of climate change in urban areas. This study analyzes eight cities in the south of Spain (Andalusia) to assess environmental quality through gases SO₂, NO₂, CO, O₃ and aerosols, obtained through Sentinel-5P satellite images, and the LST and SUHI obtained through Sentinel-3 images. Next, the results of periods of heat waves are compared with periods of normal environmental conditions during the summers of the years 2020 and 2021. The objective is to determine the possible impact of heat waves on environmental quality, as well as on the LST and SUHI of the investigated cities, which are located in an area identified as highly vulnerable to the effects of global warming. During the period of the heat wave and compared to the periods without a heat wave, a variety of environmental pollutants was found: SO₂ (+165%), NO₂ (+24%), CO (+8%), O₃ (−4%) and aerosols (+193%). Both the LST and the SUHI suffered an average increase of 2.8 K. The results of this document can help to establish pollutant reduction mechanisms in periods prior to heat waves. This could minimize major effects on the population and provide sustainable development. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Climate Change and Urban Thermal Effects)

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