Hourly evolution of intra-urban temperature variability across the local climate zones. The case of Madrid

Abstract

Field measurement campaigns have grown exponentially in recent years, stemming from the need for reliable data to validate urban climate models and obtain a better understanding of urban climate features. Also contributing to this growth is the Local Climate Zone (LCZ) scheme, firstly developed to enhance the accuracy in the contextualisation of urban measurements, and lately used for characterising urban areas. Due to its relative novelty, researchers are still investigating the potential of LCZs and its indicators for urban temperature variability detection. In this respect, the present study introduces the results of an extensive monitoring campaign carried out in the city of Madrid over a two-year period (2016–2018). The aim of this work is to further examine the relationships between LCZs and air temperature differences, with emphasis on their hourly and seasonal evolution. A graphical and statistical analysis to identify temperature variability trends for each LCZ is performed. Results support the existing evidence suggesting a high level of effectiveness in capturing the heat island (UHI) profile of different urban areas, while underperforming when it comes to capturing diurnal temperature variability. The incorporation of indicators that explain the daytime temperature variation phenomenon into the LCZ scheme is therefore recommended, warranting further research.