Tim Aiello, MSc
MSc Thesis title: Assessment of seasonal urban outdoor thermal exposure in a humid continental climate
Abstract: Many cities experience both extreme heat and cold weather. Pedestrians are exposed to these thermal extremes, causing bodily stress. With growing urban populations, city design contributing to the mitigation of summer heat while reducing winter cold exposure is important. Pedestrian thermal exposure depends on several microclimatic factors, including shortwave and longwave radiation absorption, quantified by the mean radiant temperature (Tmrt). Little research has been conducted on the radiative components of thermal exposure in hot summers and cold winters. We gathered radiation data from urban microclimates in multiple seasons in Guelph, Canada, using a mobile human-biometeorological weather station (MaRTy cart) that applies the six-directional method to determine Tmrt. Datasets were compared to examine the drivers of thermal exposure and recommend mitigation strategies. In summer, shade is the primary factor that reduces daytime heat exposure. In winter, reduced shade alleviated cold exposure, with snow providing daytime benefits from increased solar reflections.
Jacob Lachapelle, MSc
MSc Thesis title: A Microscale 3-D Model of Urban Outdoor Thermal Exposure (TUF-Pedestrian): Impacts of Street Tree Configuration
Abstract: Street trees provide effective cooling to urban pedestrians during hot weather. However, existing simulation tools may not be sufficient to inform optimization of street tree placement for this purpose. A microscale three-dimensional (3-D) urban radiation and energy balance model, TUF-Pedestrian, was developed to simulate pedestrian radiation exposure and study urban tree placement. TUF-Pedestrian was set up to simulate shortwave and longwave radiative impacts of trees on their surroundings. In addition, radiation absorption from a pedestrian was considered, permitting calculation of a summary metric of radiation exposure: the mean radiant temperature (TMRT). Model evaluation demonstrated that TUF-Pedestrian accurately simulates incoming directional radiative fluxes on pedestrians and associated TMRT in urban environments with and without tree cover. Subsequently, the model is applied to understand the variation of pedestrian TMRT as a function of different street tree configurations in hot weather. Results suggest it is important to consider street orientation and latitude (solar angle) in terms of the placement of street trees relative to pedestrian walkways. Importantly, additional radiant cooling of pedestrians during hot afternoons per unit addition of tree cover decreases modestly as existing tree cover increases. Optimizing street tree configuration in urban canyons for pedestrian thermal comfort is a complex task that can be supported with simulation tools such as TUF-Pedestrian.
Jacob’s Google Scholar profile
Nicole Menheere, MSc (former BSc student in UCAL)
Nicole Menheere is a recent grad from the University of Guelph studying environmental science. Her passion for the environment comes from helping on her family farm outside of Stratford Ont. Her work in the Urban Climate Adaptation Lab heavily focused on the impacts of different reflective pavements on pedestrian thermal exposure. More specifically, how Near Infrared (NIR) and white pavements perform compared to conventional asphalt pavements. Nicole first became curious about urban thermal comfort when she did an assignment in class on green roofs and their ability to remain cool in hot cities, which led her to study other cool urban surfaces such as reflective pavements.