A GIS based empirical model to simulate air temperature variations in the Göteborg urban area during the night

Abstract

This paper presents a GIS based empirical model to simulate wind and/or air tempera- ture variations over land. The technique is based on meteorological data (wind direction and wind speed, temperature and cloud cover) from one permanent reference station, a digital local climate map and a digital land use map. The focus of the paper is to apply and evaluate the technique for clear and calm night-time weather conditions in Goteborg, Sweden. Hourly data from a monitoring network including 31 temperature stations are used in the verification of simulations made using the model. These data are also used for a description of geographical factors that influence air tempera- ture variations in the Goteborg urban district. The technique is a potential tool for urban planning purposes but the verification shows that further improvements are needed. The main problems identified are related to details in the climate map but also to some of the algorithms that need to be refined.