Cooling and humidification effects of coniferous and broad-leaved plant communities in urban park

Abstract

As an essential part of urban parks, plant communities are of great importance in regulating the urban climate. Community structures and external elements are important factors influencing the microclimate effects of urban park communities. However, it remains unclear how these two factors affect the cooling and humidification effects of coniferous and broad-leaved communities. Taking Nanhu Park (Changchun) as a case study, we conducted measurements on the microclimate effects of 40 plant communities in summer. The results demonstrated that the optimal cooling effect of the communities occurred at about 15:00, and the humidification effect remained stable in the morning and increased after 12:00. The highest average cooling and humidification values in coniferous communities reached 3.38 °C and 17.23%, respectively, whereas those in the broad-leaved communities were 3.24 °C and 17.23%, respectively. Community structures were identified as the primary factor influencing the microclimate effects of broad-leaved communities, while the intensity of microclimate effects in coniferous communities was primarily influenced by the surrounding roads and water bodies. Our study provides insights for urban planners to comprehend the synergistic interaction between internal community structures and external elements and the microclimate effects of urban park communities.