Yoshitaka Shiotsuki

Cooling effects of a river and sea breeze on the thermal environment in a built-up area

Abstract Two kinds of field observation are carried out to examine the cooling effects of a river and a sea breeze on the thermal environment in a built-up area in summer. One is the measurements along a river and an avenue which go in the direction of the sea-land breeze. The other is the measurements along a street nearly perpendicular to the river. The wind speed above the river is larger than that above the street when the sea breeze blows, while the air temperature above the river is clearly lower than that above the avenue. The air temperature difference between them falls less downstream of the sea breeze. The air temperature in the space between buildings is the highest in the street and that at the cross point is the next; the wind direction is close to that of the sea breeze. Even if the paths are rather narrow, the ventilation effect by the sea breeze is clearly recognized.

A comparison of field surveys on the thermal environment in urban areas surroundings a large pond: when filled and when drained

Abstract This paper describes the thermal effect of a pond with an area of 127 000 m2 on the surrounding built-up area. Two surveys were conducted and compared, when water filled the pond and after the pond was drained. Moreover, two similar surveys were carried out in the extended area. In the water-filled case, the air temperature distribution demonstrated that a clear cool island was caused by the pond. In the afternoon, it was most prominent with a temperature differential of about three degrees between the center of the pond and the far outside streets, and it extended about a few hundred meters leewards. In the water-drained case, a cool island, caused by the wet bed including water pools left in the leeward half of the pond due to incomplete drainage, diminished with half the differential.

An experimental study on the effect of humidity on thermal sensations of people in summer

Abstract 1. 1. The authors propose humidity reduction instead of lowering room temperature in order to reduce cooling syndrome. 2. 2. They conducted experiments with subjects in the rooms, one with controlling humidity to about 40% r.h. and another without humidity control. Air-conditioning system with humidity control has a greater promise in making a comfortable environment, even at the temperature as high as 30°C, in comparison with conventional means using temperature control alone. 3. 3. Relationship of actual mean votes on temperature sensation and comfort sensation with PMV and SET, respectively, suggests that Japanese people might be more sensitive to humidity than Westerners and so different methods from those used in the western countries should be required for human thermal environmental studies with respect to the hot humid summer in Japan.