Jan Geletič

Urban field classification by “local climate zones” in a medium-sized Central European city: the case of Olomouc (Czech Republic)

The stations of the Metropolitan Station Network in Olomouc (Czech Republic) were assigned to local climatic zones, and the temperature characteristics of the stations were compared. The classification of local climatic zones represents an up-to-date concept for the unification of the characterization of the neighborhoods of climate research sites. This study is one of the first to provide a classification of existing stations within local climate zones. Using a combination of GIS-based analyses and field research, the values of geometric and surface cover properties were calculated, and the stations were subsequently classified into the local climate zones. It turned out that the classification of local climatic zones can be efficiently used for representative documentation of the neighborhood of the climate stations. To achieve a full standardization of the description of the neighborhood of a station, the classification procedures, including the methods used for the processing of spatial data and methods used for the indication of specific local characteristics, must be also standardized. Although the main patterns of temperature differences between the stations with a compact rise, those with an open rise and the stations with no rise or sparsely built areas were evident; the air temperature also showed considerable differences within particular zones. These differences were largely caused by various geometric layout of development and by unstandardized placement of the stations. For the direct comparison of temperatures between zones, particularly those stations which have been placed in such a way that they are as representative as possible for the zone in question should be used in further research.

Land Surface Temperature Differences within Local Climate Zones, Based on Two Central European Cities

The main factors influencing the spatiotemporal variability of urban climate are quite widely recognized, including, for example, the thermal properties of materials used for surfaces and buildings, the mass, height and layout of the buildings themselves and patterns of land use. However, the roles played by particular factors vary from city to city with respect to differences in geographical location, overall size, number of inhabitants and more. In urban climatology, the concept of “local climate zones” (LCZs) has emerged over the past decade to address this heterogeneity. In this contribution, a new GIS-based method is used for LCZ delimitation in Prague and Brno, the two largest cities in the Czech Republic, while land surface temperatures (LSTs) derived from LANDSAT and ASTER satellite data are employed for exploring the extent to which LCZ classes discriminate with respect to LSTs. It has been suggested that correctly-delineated LCZs should demonstrate the features typical of LST variability, and thus, typical surface temperatures should differ significantly among most LCZs. Zones representing heavy industry (LCZ 10), dense low-rise buildings (LCZ 3) and compact mid-rise buildings (LCZ 2) were identified as the warmest in both cities, while bodies of water (LCZ G) and densely-forested areas (LCZ A) made up the coolest zones. ANOVA and subsequent multiple comparison tests demonstrated that significant temperature differences between the various LCZs prevail. The results of testing were similar for both study areas (89.3% and 91.7% significant LST differences for Brno and Prague, respectively). LSTs computed from LANDSAT differentiated better between LCZs, compared with ASTER. LCZ 8 (large low-rise buildings), LCZ 10 (heavy industry) and LCZ D (low plants) are well-differentiated zones in terms of their surface temperatures. In contrast, LCZ 2 (compact mid-rise), LCZ 4 (open high-rise) and LCZ 9 (sparsely built-up) are less distinguishable in both areas analyzed. Factors such as seasonality and thermal anisotropy remain a challenge for future research into LST differences.

GIS-based delineation of local climate zones: The case of medium-sized Central European cities

Abstract Stewart and Oke (2012) recently proposed the concept of Local Climate Zones (LCZ) to describe the siting of urban meteorological stations and to improve the presentation of results amongst researchers. There is now a concerted effort, however, within the field of urban climate studies to map the LCZs across entire cities, providing a means to compare the internal structure of urban areas in a standardised way and to enable the comparison of cities. We designed a new GIS-based LCZ mapping method for Central European cities and compiled LCZ maps for three selected medium-sized Central European cities: Brno, Hradec Králové, and Olomouc (Czech Republic). The method is based on measurable physical properties and a clearly defined decision-making algorithm. Our analysis shows that the decision-making algorithm for defining the percentage coverage for individual LCZs showed good agreement (in 79–89% of cases) with areas defined on the basis of expert knowledge. When the distribution of LCZs on the basis of our method and the method of Bechtel and Daneke (2012) was compared, the results were broadly similar; however, considerable differences occurred for LCZs 3, 5, 10, D, and E. It seems that Central European cities show a typical spatial pattern of LCZ distribution but that rural settlements in the region also regularly form areas of built-type LCZ classes. The delineation and description of the spatial distribution of LCZs is an important step towards the study of urban climates in a regional setting.

Modelled spatiotemporal variability of outdoor thermal comfort in local climate zones of the city of Brno, Czech Republic

This study uses the MUKLIMO_3 urban climate model (in German, Mikroskaliges Urbanes KLImaMOdell in 3-Dimensionen) and measurements from an urban climate network in order to simulate, validate and analyse the spatiotemporal pattern of human thermal comfort outdoors in the city of Brno (Czech Republic) during a heat-wave period. HUMIDEX, a heat index designed to quantify human heat exposure, was employed to assess thermal comfort, employing air temperature and relative humidity data. The city was divided into local climate zones (LCZs) in order to access differences in intra-urban thermal comfort. Validation of the model results, based on the measurement dates within the urban monitoring network, confirmed that the MUKLIMO_3 micro-scale model had the capacity to simulate the main spatiotemporal patterns of thermal comfort in an urban area and its vicinity. The results suggested that statistically significant differences in outdoor thermal comfort exist in the majority of cases between different LCZs. The most built-up LCZ types (LCZs 2, 3, 5, 8 and 10) were disclosed as the most uncomfortable areas of the city. Hence, conditions of great discomfort (HUMIDEX >40) were recorded in these areas, mainly in the afternoon hours (from 13.00 to 18.00 CEST), while some thermal discomfort continued overnight. In contrast, HUMIDEX values in sparsely built-up LCZ 9 and non-urban LCZs were substantially lower and indicated better thermal conditions for the urban population. Interestingly, the model captured a local increase of HUMIDEX values arising out of air humidity in LCZs with the presence of more vegetation (LCZs A and B) and in the vicinity of larger bodies of water (LCZ G).

Statistical analyses of land surface temperature in local climate zones: Case study of Brno and Prague (Czech Republic)

The classification of “local climate zones” (LCZs) emerged in urban climatology to standardize description of urban climate research sites. One of the goals of classification was to get beyond urban-rural dichotomy which enabled to study urban air temperature field in more detail. Based on empirical and modelling work LCZ have proven effective in examining intra-urban air temperature differences, however a robust examination of intra-urban land surface temperatures using the LCZ framework remains elusive. In this study a GIS-based method is used for LCZ delimitation in Prague and Brno (Czech Republic), while land surface temperatures (LSTs) derived from LANDSAT and ASTER satellite data are employed for exploring the extent to which LCZ classes discriminate with respect to LSTs. Results indicate that LCZs demonstrate the features typical of LST variability, and thus typical surface temperatures differ significantly among most LCZs. ANOVA and subsequent multiple comparison tests demonstrated that significant temperature differences between the various LCZs prevail in both cities (89.3% and 91.6% significant LST differences for Brno and Prague respectively). In general, LCZ 8 (large low-rise buildings), LCZ 10 (heavy industry) and LCZ D (low plants) are well-distinguishable, while LCZ 2 (compact midrise), LCZ 4 (open high-rise), and LCZ 9 (sparsely built-up) are less distinguishable in terms of their LST. In most of the scenes LCZ 10 (heavy industry), LCZ 2 (mid-rise buildings) and LCZ 3 (low-rise building) are the warmest and LCZ G (water bodies) and LCZ A (dense forest) are the coolest zones in term of their LST. Further studies are needed to account for observational errors (such as seasons differences or thermal anisotropy) on LCZ LST patterns.