• Title/Summary/Keyword: Urban climates

Search Result 27, Processing Time 0.025 seconds

Developing Woody Crops for the Enhancement of Ecosystem Services under Changing Climates in the North Central United States

  • Zalesny, Ronald S. Jr.;Headlee, William L.
    • Journal of Forest and Environmental Science
    • /
    • v.31 no.2
    • /
    • pp.78-90
    • /
    • 2015
  • Short rotation woody crops belonging to the genera Populus L., Salix L., Pinus L., and Eucalyptus L'Her. have provided broad economic and ecological benefits throughout the world, including afforestation and reforestation along urban to rural gradients. Within the genus Populus, cottonwoods, poplars, aspens, and their hybrids (hereafter referred to as poplars) have been shown to exhibit favorable genotype ${\times}$ environment interactions, especially in the face of changing climates. Similar growth responses have been reported for Pinus, especially with white pine (Pinus strobus L.) in the North Central United States. This has led to current research priorities focused on ecosystem services for both genera. The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (2005) defines cultural, supporting, provisioning, and regulating ecosystem services. The overarching objective of this paper was to synthesize information about the potential of poplars to provide multiple ecosystem services when grown at sites with varying soil and climate conditions across landscape gradients from urban to rural areas. Specific objectives included: 1) providing background of the United States Forest Service and its Research and Development branch, 2) integrating knowledge of current poplar breeding and development with biomass provisioning and carbon regulating ecosystem services as they relate to changing climates in the North Central United States, and 3) providing a case study illustrating this integration through comparisons of poplar with white pine. Our results were evaluated in the context of climate change mitigation, with specific focus on selection of favorable genotypes for sequestering atmospheric carbon and reducing fossil fuel carbon emissions.

Study on Thermal Property in Urban Area - Part 1 : Experimental Analysis for Predicting Methodology of Thermal Property in Urban Area - (도심지의 온열성상에 관한 연구 -제1보 도심지 온열환경 예측모델을 위한 실측조사-)

  • Son Won-Tug;Lee Sung
    • Korean Journal of Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Engineering
    • /
    • v.16 no.10
    • /
    • pp.984-989
    • /
    • 2004
  • Significant air temperature increases in urban areas is well known as the heat island phenomenon in a global scale. Therefore, we propose numerical model in order to analyze quantitative effects of building environmental factors on the heat island phenomenon in urban area. In this paper, thermal property of upper atmosphere is experimentally investigated for Sakae, Nagoya Japan. In conclusion, it was confirmed that the boundary layer of a urban canopy existed near the altitude of 139 m.

Study on Thermal Property in Urban Area - Quantitative Estimation of Heat Island in Urban area using the Simple Urban Canopy Model - (도심지의 온열성상에 관한 연구 - 공조배열량의 감소에 따른 도심지 온열환경의 변화 -)

  • Son Won-Tug;Lee Sung
    • Korean Journal of Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Engineering
    • /
    • v.16 no.12
    • /
    • pp.1190-1196
    • /
    • 2004
  • Significant air temperature increases in urban areas are known as the heat island phenomenon in a global scale. Therefore, we propose numerical model in order to analyze quantitative effects of building environmental factors on the heat island phenomenon in urban area. In this paper, we propose a predicting model to analyze the heat island phenomenon quantitatively. Using this model, numerical simulation is performed in order to analyze quantitative effects of many factor on the heat island phenomenon.

A Comparison of Floral Difference by the Land Use Type in the Metropolitan Area (대도시 인구밀집지역의 토지이용에 따른 식물상의 차이 및 비교)

  • Lee, Sang-Hwa;Lee, Kyoo-Seock
    • Journal of the Korean Society of Environmental Restoration Technology
    • /
    • v.7 no.1
    • /
    • pp.10-18
    • /
    • 2004
  • The urban ecosystem, unlike the natural ecosystem, has been affected by the urban environment, so the existences of normal creatures have been threatened and eventually the stability has declined to consist of those that have adapted to such. Therefore, by creating a list of such organisms, their number of variety can be found out and their ecological distinction can be understood. Because flora is known to be an ecological index reflecting region's effects of human and societal environments, weather, and climates, it is a useful method of finding out the ecological position and distinctiveness of that region. The study site is part of watershed at Yangjae Stream, Kahngnam-ku, Seoul. In this study, the difference of flora in each land use type are investigated by plant identification. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the city's plant surviving environment, and eventually to contribute to the restoration of urban green spaces by finding out the plants which are appropriate for the corresponding environment. After doing the study, it was found that the urban forest is the most stable urban ecosystem while the urban park is seriously disturbed, and ecologically unstable. The urban stream is also disturbed continuously.

Validation of Extended Building Heat Transfer Model (건축전열모델의 확장에 관한 연구)

  • 조민관
    • Korean Journal of Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Engineering
    • /
    • v.15 no.5
    • /
    • pp.422-431
    • /
    • 2003
  • Theory of the building heat transfer is generally limited to the heat flux to the surfaces of windows and walls, which influences the indoor climate of a building, in the field of architectural environmental engineering. While the heat flux from the buildings to their environment has been considered in the viewpoint of urban climate, its conventional theory have been rarely examined. The purpose of this study is to propose a building-urban heat transfer model for defining the relation between the building and the urban climate by extending the building heat transfer model. In this study, the extended building heat transfer model, where response factor method is used, is established on the urban space and the indoor space by the boundary of building envelopes. Computer simulation (HASP/ACLD) is conducted on the subjected urban area by the established building-urban heat transfer model. As a result it is logically proved that the short waves of solar radiation, which interact with long Waves of radiation from the buildings and the earth, increase the urban air temperature ana buildings largely influence on the urban climate.

Urbanization and Quality of Stormwater Runoff: Remote Sensing Measurements of Land Cover in an Arid City

  • Kang, Min Jo;Mesev, Victor;Myint, Soe W.
    • Korean Journal of Remote Sensing
    • /
    • v.30 no.3
    • /
    • pp.399-415
    • /
    • 2014
  • The intensity of stormwater runoff is particularly acute across cities located in arid climates. During flash floods loose sediment and pollutants are typically transported across sun-hardened surfaces contributing to widespread degradation of water quality. Rapid, dense urbanization exacerbates the problem by creating continuous areas of impervious surfaces, perforated only by a few green patches. Our work demonstrates how the latest techniques in remote sensing can be used to routinely measure urban land cover types, impervious cover, and vegetated areas. In addition, multiple regression models can then infer relationships between urban land use and land cover types with stormwater quality data, initially sampled at discrete monitoring sites, and then extrapolated annually across an arid city; in our case, the city of Phoenix in Arizona, USA. Results reveal that from 30 storm event samples, solids and heavy metal pollutants were found to be highly related with general impervious surfaces; in particular, with industrial and commercial land use types. Repercussions stemming from this work include support for public policies that advocate environmental sustainability and the more recent focus on urban livability. Also, advocacy for new urban construction and re-development that both steer away from vast unbroken impervious surfaces, in place of more fragmented landscapes that harmonize built and green spaces.

Assessment of the ATC Effect for Paddy Field and Forest Using Landsat Images and In-situ Measurement (Landsat영상과 현지조사에 의한 여름철 논과 산림의 기온저감효과 평가)

  • Park, Jong-Hwa;Na, Sang-Il;Kim, Jin-Soo
    • Proceedings of the Korea Water Resources Association Conference
    • /
    • 2007.05a
    • /
    • pp.1943-1947
    • /
    • 2007
  • The objective of this research was to find a direct and indirect method to estimate land surface temperature (LST) efficiently, using Landsat images and in-situ measurement. Agricultural fields including paddy fields have long been known to have multi-functions beneficial to the environment and ecology of the urban surrounding areas. Among these functions, the ambient temperature cooling (ATC) effect are widely acknowledged. However, quantitative and regional assessment of such effect has not had many investigations. Thermal remote sensing has been used over urban areas to assess ATC effect, to perform land cover classifications and as input for models of urban surface atmosphere exchange. Here, we review the use of thermal remote sensing in the study of paddy fields and urban climates, focusing primarily on the ATC effect. Landsat satellite images were used to determine the surface temperatures of different land cover types of a $441km^2$ study area in Cheongju, Korea. The results show that the ATC are a function of paddy area percentage in Landsat pixels. Pixels with higher paddy area percentage have more significant cooling effect.

  • PDF

Analysis of the Relationship Between Land Cover and Land Surface Temperature at Cheongju Region Using Landsat Images in Summer Day (LANDSAT영상을 이용한 여름철 청주지역의 토지피복과 지표면온도와의 관계 분석)

  • Park, Jong-Hwa;Kim, Jin-Soo;Na, Sang-Il
    • Journal of The Korean Society of Agricultural Engineers
    • /
    • v.48 no.5
    • /
    • pp.39-48
    • /
    • 2006
  • The objective of this research was to find an indirect method to estimate land surface temperature (LST) efficiently, using Landsat images. Agricultural fields including paddy fields have long been known to have multi-functions beneficial to the environment and ecology of the urban surrounding areas. Among these functions, the ambient temperature cooling (ATC) effect is widely acknowledged. However, quantitative and regional assessment of such effect has not been performed. Thermal remote sensing has been used over urban areas to assess the ATC effect, Thermal Island Effect(TIE), and as input for models of urban surface atmosphere exchange. Here, we review the use of thermal remote sensing in the study of paddy fields and urban climates, focusing primarily on the ATC effect. Landsat satellite images were used to determine the surface temperatures of different land cover types of a $44km^{2}$ study area in Cheongiu, Korea. The results show that the ATC is a function of paddy area percentage in Landsat pixels. Landsat pixels with higher paddy area percentage have much more cooling effect. The use of satellite data may contribute to a globally consistent method for analysis of ATC effect.

Greenhouse Test Results for Two Years of Sheet shaped Root Barrier Materials Apply to Green Roof System for Sustainable Building Construction

  • Jang, Dae-Hee;Kim, Hyeon-Soo;Choi, Soo-Kyung
    • Journal of the Korea Institute of Building Construction
    • /
    • v.11 no.6
    • /
    • pp.634-644
    • /
    • 2011
  • Recently, As a part of urban forestation, the introductions of green roofs into public projects has been actively driven. Supported by this policy, the sizes of domestic green roof related markets have been rapidly expanding and many types of root barrier materials developed in Korea or abroad are being commercially distributed. In this study, root barrier tests were conducted over two years with nine types of sheet type waterproof materials that are the most commonly used as root barrier layers in green roof systems. The test conditions prepared considered the climates, natural features and vegetation in Korea and the results and related root barrier performance were verified. From the results of this study, the necessity to improve the joint part of root barrier sheets and forming methods has been identified and a measure to improve domestic root barrier testing methods was proposed.