Rural Stations Research Articles

Statistical urban plume analysis using observations and air mass modelling at a rural station in the northern Spanish plateau

The influence of urban plumes on the final measurements recorded at rural stations is an issue which has rarely been touched upon in great detail. A better knowledge of local and regional sources of atmospheric CO2 and CH4 evolution over time and space provides policy-makers with the right awareness when acting to improve air quality. Assessing the links between air pollutant mixing ratios and wind direction data can help to identify possible sources. Using the Lagrangian METEX model, the current paper’s main motivation is to identify the impact of the Valladolid urban plume on the final CO2 and CH4 high-precision measurements recorded with a Picarro analyser at a rural station in the upper Spanish plateau (CIB station). The current paper is based on a statistical approach in which multiyear CO2 and CH4 observations are interpreted by means of different statistics and distribution functions. Higher values were detected for both CO2 and CH4 in southern sectors, showing the effect which the Valladolid plume has on final CO2 and CH4 measurements. In addition, six different distribution functions were applied to the dataset and provided satisfactory contrasts with experimental values obtained using Pearson correlation and r critical values. Results indicate that CO2 and CH4 data fitted the Gamma, the Gumbel, and the Lognormal distributions best.

Impact of urban heat island on the variation of heating loads in residential and office buildings in Tianjin

Urban heat island (UHI) significantly affects the energy demand of buildings. Therefore, it is important to consider UHI effect when evaluating the real energy demand of buildings in urban and rural areas. Based on hourly data observed over the past ten years from automatic weather stations and four representative rural weather stations selected by remote sensing method, the impact of the UHI intensity (UHII) on the building loads at fine time scales (i.e. day and hour) were evaluated by simulating the hourly loads during whole year of the typical residential and office buildings in urban and rural areas. UHII was found to be the main climatic factor affecting the variations in heating load in both residential and office buildings. With a heating-period mean UHII of 2.1 °C in the ten years, the daily heating load in urban areas is significantly lower than that in rural areas, which is 10.1 and 7.5% less for residential and office buildings, respectively. For residential and office buildings, the daily heating load has decreased by 34.2 × 10−3 and 27.7 × 10−3 kWh/m2, respectively, for every 1 °C increase in UHII. For both types of buildings, the period of high energy consumption in both urban and rural areas was from late December to late January of the following year. The hourly load in residential buildings was high at night and low during the daytime, and the opposite was founded in office buildings. For residential buildings, the period from 18:00 one day to 07:00 the next day was the high load period in both urban and rural areas, whereas the high load period in office buildings was from 07:00 to 19:00. The peak load in residential and office buildings was founded from 05:00 to 07:00 and from 07:00 to 11:00, respectively. Overall, the daily and hourly heating load variations in residential and office buildings response to UHI should be fully considered to improve the fine-level of heating operation regulations, especially in urban areas, to reduce the energy consumption of buildings.

Inhalation Exposure to Gaseous and Particulate Bound Mercury Present in the Ambient Air over the Polluted Area of Southern Poland.

This study concerns the concentrations of gaseous and particle-bound mercury present in ambient air of two Polish sites, differing in terms of emission structure, and the estimation of inhalation risks related to those Hg species. The measurements of total gaseous mercury (TGM) and PM2.5-bound mercury (PBM) were performed at an urban station in Zabrze and a rural station in Złoty Potok, in 2014–2015. Both sites are located in Silesia, considered one of the European air pollution hot-spots. TGM was measured on-line (Tekran 2537). PM2.5 samples were taken with the use of low volume samplers. Hg contents in PM were determined by the CVAAS method following thermal decomposition. The median concentrations of TGM and PBM in Zabrze were 2.48 ng m−3 and 37.87 pg m−3, respectively; meanwhile in Zloty Potok, these were 1.69 ng m−3 and 27.82 pg m−3, respectively. Clearly, seasonal variability of TGM and PBM concentrations were observed, reflecting the importance of Hg and PM emissions from coal combustion for power and heating purposes. Health risk assessment was performed using a deterministic approach by the most conservative exposure scenario. The obtained HQ ratios and the cumulative HI indexes were below the limit value (<1). This means an unlikely health hazard due mercury inhalation.

Half-century urban drying in Shijiazhuang City**Submitted to Environmental Research Letters for possible publication.

Climatic and environmental change in urban areas attracts more and more attention with rapid urbanization worldwide. Change in key surface climatic variables in urban areas is a core component of urban climatic change. Here we report an analysis of relative humidity (RH) change in Shijiazhuang City, China, over the period 1963–2012, based on the RH data of a typical urban station and the surrounding rural stations. We found that the annual mean RH at the urban station underwent a more significant downward trend (−0.74%/10 yr) than those at the four rural stations (−0.16%/10 yr on average), and the most significant decrease occurred after 1990s; urbanization effect on the decrease of annual mean RH at the urban station reached −0.59%/10 yr, which was highly significant, with the urbanization contribution to the overall RH decrease being 78.7%, indicating that the trend of urban drying was caused dominantly by the urbanization; urbanization effects on seasonal mean RH decrease at the urban station were −0.60%/10 yr, −0.61%/10 yr, −0.67%/10 yr and −0.46%/10 yr respectively for spring, summer, autumn and winter, which were all significant statistically, with a 100% urbanization contribution for winter; rising temperature, dropping evaporation and decreasing precipitation days relative to rural areas were found to be the main factors affecting the urban RH decrease. The conclusions are of practical significance to further understand the characteristics and causes of RH change at a typical urban meteorological station in North China, and to detect the large-scale climatic and environmental change for assessing the impact of climate change on agricultural production and water cycle.

Contribution of urbanization to the changes in extreme climate events in urban agglomerations across China

Unprecedented urbanization in China facilitates the rapid development of urban agglomerations (UAs) and may exert prominent effects on regional climate and environment change. By analyzing a set of 27 extreme temperature and precipitation indices, this study examines the changes in extreme climate events in 20 UAs in China and evaluates the urbanization effects using a dynamic classification of urban and rural stations by time-varying land use/cover maps. The regional differences of the urbanization effects on extreme climate events are also investigated by a k-means clustering. It is found that, for both temperature and precipitation extremes, the urban and rural areas exhibit remarkably distinct changes and demonstrate significant urbanization effect, which also varies across different climate backgrounds. Urbanization profoundly contributes to increasing hot extremes and reducing cold extremes in most UAs, while it seems to pose the opposite effects in several UAs of arid and high-latitude regions. On average, the urbanization effect accounts for around 30% of the total change in extreme temperature events over the urban core areas of 20 UAs. On the other hand, the urbanization effects on extreme precipitation indices display stronger regional discrepancies than temperature extremes. Urbanization tends to have weakening effects on extreme precipitation events in UAs over coastal regions and intensifying influences on those in central/west China. It causes more (less) frequent and more (less) intense precipitation in UAs of inland central/west (coastal) areas. Our findings provide a systematic understanding of the urbanization effects on extreme climate and may have important implications for the mitigation of urban disasters.

A Method of Location Selection for Rural Highway Transportation Service Facilities Based on GIS

To efficiently organize and optimize travel modes, meet safe, convenient and comfortable travel requirements for passengers, and promote the sound development of transportation infrastructure on rural highways, this paper reviews the common location selection methods for highway passenger stations, and compares the advantages and disadvantages of existing methods. Using rural highway passenger station as the research subject, we proposed a scientific, systematic and practical method for location selection based on GIS (Geographic Information System) technology. At the same time, we used AHP (Analytic Hierarchy Process) to establish, and to qualitatively and quantitatively analyze the model&amp;mdash;in a scientific and rational framework&amp;mdash;to determine the location of the stations. Location input data collected by this method are comprehensive, accurate and quickly-calculated. The entire site selection process is visualized in the form of pictures, which provides a method and theoretical reference value in the future for site selection construction on Rural Highway Transportation Service Facilities. Herein, this paper uses passenger stations as a research object and uses the stated methods above to achieve the desired results.

Urbanization Enhanced Summertime Extreme Hourly Precipitation over the Yangtze River Delta

AbstractAn extensive urban agglomeration has occurred over the Yangtze River delta (YRD) region of East China as a result of rapid urbanization since the middle 1990s. In this study, a 44-yr (i.e., 1975–2018) climatology of the summertime extreme hourly precipitation (EXHP; greater than the 90th percentile) over the YRD is analyzed, using historical land-use data, surface temperature, and hourly rain gauge observations, and then the relationship between rapid urbanization and EXHP changes is examined. Results show significant EXHP contrasts in diurnal variation and storm type roughly before and after middle July. That is, tropical cyclones (TCs) account for 16.4% of the total EXHP hours, 80.5% of which occur during the late summer, whereas non-TC EXHP accounts for 94.7% and 66.2% during the early and late summer, respectively. Increasing trends in occurrence frequency and amount of the non-TC and TC-induced EXHP are detected over the urban agglomeration. Statistically significant larger increasing trends in both the EXHP and surface temperature are observed at urban stations than those at the nearby rural stations. An analysis of 113 locally developed non-TC extreme rainfall events during 2011–18 summers also suggests the contribution of the urban heat island effects to the more occurrences of EXHP, especially over a band-shaped urban region where several major cities are distributed. This study reveals a significant correlation between rapid urbanization and increased EXHP during the past two decades over the YRD region. The results have important implications for understanding the impact of urbanization on EXHP changes in a warming climate.

Regional-scale modelling for the assessment of atmospheric particulate matter concentrations at rural background locations in Europe

Abstract. The application of regional-scale air quality models is an important tool in air quality assessment and management. For this reason, the understanding of model abilities and performances is mandatory. The main objective of this research was to investigate the spatial and temporal variability of background particulate matter (PM) concentrations, to evaluate the regional air quality modelling performance in simulating PM concentrations during statically stable conditions and to investigate processes that contribute to regionally increased PM concentrations with a focus on eastern and central Europe. The temporal and spatial variability of observed PM was analysed at 310 rural background stations in Europe during 2011. Two different regional air quality modelling systems (offline coupled European Monitoring and Evaluation Programme, EMEP, and online coupled Weather Research and Forecasting with Chemistry) were applied to simulate the transport of pollutants and to further investigate the processes that contributed to increased concentrations during high-pollution episodes. Background PM measurements from rural background stations, wind speed, surface pressure and ambient temperature data from 920 meteorological stations across Europe, classified according to the elevation, were used for the evaluation of individual model performance. Among the sea-level stations (up to 200 m), the best modelling performance, in terms of meteorology and chemistry, was found for both models. The underestimated modelled PM concentrations in some cases indicated the importance of the accurate assessment of regional air pollution transport under statically stable atmospheric conditions and the necessity of further model improvements.

Observed Relationships Between the Urban Heat Island, Urban Pollution Island, and Downward Longwave Radiation in the Beijing Area

AbstractWe used the mean air temperature and particulate matter concentration at northern and southern rural stations as rural background values to calculate the urban heat island intensity (UHII) and urban pollution island intensity (UPII) for Beijing. The correlation between UHII and UPII is significantly negative in winter during the daytime and nighttime when selecting southern rural background stations but significantly positive in spring during both daytime and nighttime and in winter during the nighttime when selecting northern rural background stations. The downward longwave radiation (DLR) is highly correlated with surface air temperature and water vapor, and with particulate matter concentration in winter and summer. Water vapor also has a high correlation with particulate matter concentration in winter and summer. Winter data were used to investigate the particulate matter contribution to DLR to minimize the effect of humidity. The results indicate that in winter the urban area DLR and net radiation increased more than rural area under polluted conditions compared with clean conditions, which may lead to an increase in UHII. But in other seasons with more moisture, the aerosol effect on DLR is smaller than water vapor. Our results imply that the contribution of air pollutants to DLR had been overestimated in recent studies without removing water vapor effects on the longwave radiation. We suggest that the interaction between the urban heat island and the urban pollution island and related mitigation strategies needs to be carefully studied in the future by considering different climate zone and seasons.

Quantitatively evaluating the effect of urbanization on heat waves in China

In this study, the long-term trends and spatial characteristics of heat waves (HW) were analyzed using observations at a dense network of 2000 meteorological stations in China during 1961–2014. The contribution of urbanization to HW was quantitatively evaluated at the national scale based on a method of dynamically classifying urban and rural stations. The results based on different HW measures showed that HW in China became increasingly frequent, intense and longer, and emerged earlier and terminated later. More significant variation trends of HW were observed in southern and northern China, whereas relatively weaker and negative trends occurred in the Jianghuai-Plain region. The effect of urbanization on HW was evaluated in eight subregions of China, the results showed that the urbanization had an notable impact on the progression of HW. The urbanization contribution was pronounced in all subregions, especially in the southwestern, northern and southern China, where contributions were found to be >45%. In northwestern China, a negative urbanization effect was found in some HW measures, which was inferred to be related to the local dry climate. Overall, the contribution of urbanization to HW reached 30–50% for the urban areas of China. This study provided great insights in understanding the variations in extreme weather events and their relationships with urbanization.

Effects of urban land expansion on decreasing atmospheric moisture in Guangdong, South China

It is known that rapid expansion in urban area exerts prominent effects on surface or near-surface temperature and the urban heat island effect. However, whether and how urban land expansion influences atmospheric humidity, a key indicator closely relating to human comfort and urban environment, warrant further investigations. By taking Guangdong Province as an example, in this study we examined the change in atmospheric moisture over South China during 1961–2014 and evaluated the urban expansion effects. We found a prominent drying tendency over Guangdong, as characterized by decreasing relative and specific humidities and increasing vapor pressure deficit. The drying trend has a positive correlation with urban expansion speed and exhibited regional differences, with particularly stronger trends in more urbanized and populated areas such as the Pearl River Delta. Using a dynamic classification of urban / rural stations based on time-varying high-resolution land use / land cover maps, we estimated that urbanization contributed to approximately 50% of the total drying trend in the urban areas of Guangdong. Possible mechanisms and processes underlying the urban expansion effect were also discussed. We suggested that the changes in atmospheric moisture and the urban expansion effect should be considered in future climate change mitigation, urban planning, and landscape design to support sustainable development in urban areas.

Urbanization has stronger impacts than regional climate change on wind stilling: a lesson from South Korea

Wind stilling has been observed in many regions across the Northern Hemisphere; however, the related mechanisms are not well understood. Analyses of the wind speed variations in South Korea during 1993–2015 in this study reveal that the annual-mean surface wind speeds at rural stations have increased by up to 0.41 m s−1 decade−1, while those at urban stations have decreased by up to −0.63 m s−1 decade−1. The local wind speed variations are found to be negatively correlated with the population density at the corresponding observation sites. Gustiness analyses show the increase in local surface roughness due to urbanization can explain the observed negative wind speed trends at urban stations as the urbanization effect overwhelms the positive wind speed trend due to climate change. The observed negative wind speed trend in urban areas are not found in the regional climate model simulations in the Coordinated Regional Climate Downscaling Experiment—East Asia (CORDEX-EA) as these models do not take into account the impact of urbanization on wind variations during the period. This study suggests that urbanization can play an important role in the recent wind stilling in rapidly developing regions such as South Korea. Our results suggest that future climate projections in CORDEX-EA may overestimate wind speeds in urban areas, and that future regional climate projections need to consider the effects of urbanization for a more accurate projection of wind speeds.

Community radio: an instrument for good governance in Nigeria

Decree No. 38 of 1992 enacted under the administration of General Ibrahim B. Babangida put a stop to fifty seven years of government’s exclusive ownership and operation of broadcasting in Nigeria. However, with the cost of setting-up, management and obtaining license for media station being prohibitively expensive, the system can only be accessed by the rich and powerful in the society, thereby depriving rural communities’ involvement in the development of the country. As part of the panoply of strategies to ensure rural communities’ participation in democratic governance, there is need for the establishment of rural community radio stations, which is very much different from educational institutions’ type currently being paraded as community radios but rather a training room for communication and theatre arts students. Using historical-analytic method, this article looks at the role community radio could play in making good governance in Nigeria accessible to every segment of society, especially the rural populace. Therefore, it is recommended that Nigerian Broadcasting Commission (NBC) policy should consider the inclusion of community radio as the third in the sector of radio broadcasting in Nigeria after public and commercial ownership. Furthermore, since community radio is essentially non-for-profit, government should make the operation licence free or at a minimal cost to the host community.&#x0D; Keywords: Community radio, NBC, Good governance, People’s participation, Nigeria

Similarities and Differences in the Temporal Variability of PM2.5 and AOD Between Urban and Rural Stations in Beijing

Surface particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter of &lt;2.5 μm (PM2.5) and column-integrated aerosol optical depth (AOD) exhibits substantial diurnal, daily, and yearly variabilities that are regionally dependent. The diversity of these temporal variabilities in urban and rural areas may imply the inherent mechanisms. A novel time-series analysis tool developed by Facebook, Prophet, is used to investigate the holiday, seasonal, and inter-annual patterns of PM2.5 and AOD at a rural station (RU) and an urban station (UR) in Beijing. PM2.5 shows a coherent decreasing tendency at both stations during 2014–2018, consistent with the implementation of the air pollution action plan at the end of 2013. RU is characterized by similar seasonal variations of AOD and PM2.5, with the lowest values in winter and the highest in summer, which is opposite that at UR with maximum AOD, but minimum PM2.5 in summer and minimum AOD, but maximum PM2.5 in winter. During the National Day holiday (1–7 October), both AOD and PM2.5 holiday components regularly shift from negative to positive departures, and the turning point generally occurs on October 4. AODs at both stations steadily increase throughout the daytime, which is most striking in winter. A morning rush hour peak of PM2.5 (7:00–9:00 local standard time (LST)) and a second peak at night (23:00 LST) are observed at UR. PM2.5 at RU often reaches minima (maxima) at around 12:00 LST (19:00 LST), about four hours later (earlier) than UR. The ratio of PM2.5 to AOD (η) shows a decreasing tendency at both stations in the last four years, indicating a profound impact of the air quality control program. η at RU always begins to increase about 1–2 h earlier than that at UR during the daytime. Large spatial and temporal variations of η suggest that caution should be observed in the estimation of PM2.5 from AOD.

Prediction of source contributions to urban background PM&amp;lt;sub&amp;gt;10&amp;lt;/sub&amp;gt; concentrations in European cities: a case study for an episode in December 2016 using EMEP/MSC-W rv4.15 and LOTOS-EUROS v2.0 – Part 1: The country contributions

Abstract. A large fraction of the urban population in Europe is exposed to particulate matter levels above the WHO guideline value. To make more effective mitigation strategies, it is important to understand the influence on particulate matter (PM) from pollutants emitted in different European nations. In this study, we evaluate a country source contribution forecasting system aimed at assessing the domestic and transboundary contributions to PM in major European cities for an episode in December 2016. The system is composed of two models (EMEP/MSC-W rv4.15 and LOTOS-EUROS v2.0), which allows the consideration of differences in the source attribution. We also compared the PM10 concentrations, and both models present satisfactory agreement in the 4 d forecasts of the surface concentrations, since the hourly concentrations can be highly correlated with in situ observations. The correlation coefficients reach values of up to 0.58 for LOTOS-EUROS and 0.50 for EMEP for the urban stations; the values are 0.58 for LOTOS-EUROS and 0.72 for EMEP for the rural stations. However, the models underpredict the highest hourly concentrations measured by the urban stations (mean underestimation of 36 %), which is to be expected given the relatively coarse model resolution used (0.25∘ longitude × 0.125∘ latitude). For the source attribution calculations, LOTOS-EUROS uses a labelling technique, while the EMEP/MSC-W model uses a scenario having reduced anthropogenic emissions, and then it is compared to a reference run where no changes are applied. Different percentages (5 %, 15 %, and 50 %) for the reduced emissions in the EMEP/MSC-W model were used to test the robustness of the methodology. The impact of the different ways to define the urban area for the studied cities was also investigated (i.e. one model grid cell, nine grid cells, and grid cells covering the definition given by the Global Administrative Areas – GADM). We found that the combination of a 15 % emission reduction and a larger domain (nine grid cells or GADM) helps to preserve the linearity between emission and concentrations changes. The nonlinearity, related to the emission reduction scenario used, is suggested by the nature of the mismatch between the total concentration and the sum of the concentrations from different calculated sources. Even limited, this nonlinearity is observed in the NO3-, NH4+, and H2O concentrations, which is related to gas–aerosol partitioning of the species. The use of a 15 % emission reduction and of a larger city domain also causes better agreement on the determination of the main country contributors between both country source calculations. Over the 34 European cities investigated, PM10 was dominated by domestic emissions for the studied episode (1–9 December 2016). The two models generally agree on the dominant external country contributor (68 % on an hourly basis) to PM10 concentrations. Overall, 75 % of the hourly predicted PM10 concentrations of both models have the same top five main country contributors. Better agreement on the dominant country contributor for primary (emitted) species (70 % is found for primary organic matter (POM) and 80 % for elemental carbon – EC) than for the inorganic secondary component of the aerosol (50 %), which is predictable due to the conceptual differences in the source attribution used by both models. The country contribution calculated by the scenario approach depends on the chemical regime, which largely impacts the secondary components, unlike the calculation using the labelling approach.

Yield and economic losses in maize caused by ambient ozone in the North China Plain (2014–2017)

Maize is the second most important crop per harvested area in the world. The North China Plain (NCP) is a highly populated and relevant agricultural region in China, experiencing some of the highest ozone (O3) concentrations worldwide. It produces ~24% of the total maize production of China in years 2014–2017. For these years, we used observational O3 data in combination with geostatistic methods to estimate county-level production and economic losses due to O3 in the NCP. AOT40 (accumulated ozone exposure over an hourly threshold of 40 ppb) values during the maize growing season (90 days before maturity) progressively increased in the four consecutive years: 13.7 ppm h, 15.4 ppm h, 16.9 ppm h and 22.7 ppm h. Mean relative yield losses were 8.2% in 2014, 9.2% in 2015, 10.4% in 2016 and 13.4% in 2017. These yield losses, derived from exposure-response functions, resulted in crop production losses of 530.3 × 104 t, 617.8 × 104 t, 713.8 × 104 t, and 953.4 × 104 t, as well as economic losses of 2343 million USD, 2672 million USD, 1887 million USD, and 2404 million USD from 2014 to 2017. The NCP is a key area in China for monitoring the effectiveness of the clean air action policies aiming at reducing emissions of air pollutants. Despite these measures, O3 concentrations have increased in NCP, and reduction of this pollutant are challenging. We suggest an increase in the number of rural air quality stations for better characterizing O3 trends in cropland areas, as well as the application of different mitigation measures. They may involve more stringent air quality regulations and changes in crops, breeding tolerant cultivars and a crop management taking into account O3 pollution.

Green Water

51 MANUEL PAUL LÓPEZ Green Water  I. GREEN WATER Nestor once told me that the most unique heroes in life are the ones filled with fragrant water. Nestor said: And mijito, when they inevitably acquire their bullet holes, that greenish liquid that smells of hibiscus and revolution’s camouflage will exit their bodies and nourish the soil your punk ass walks on. What grows from your footsteps is the question. Mmmm, I droned. I couldn’t think of any other way to respond. Nestor didn’t expect me to either. He never expected me to. He was the talker, and I, the faithful listener, the documentarian, the archivist, the dutiful, leather-bound artifact that awaits discovery. Nestor stared at the floor and grinned, still speaking, if you could believe , without moving his lips. In time, for no reason I can explain, my hand raised toward the high desert sun, and it leaned softly into the palm of my hand. Like that, I thought of nothing but salt. And the wild taste of self-preservation. 52 II. THE LANDING Nestor landed in a volcanic crater in El Salvador when he fell headfirst from the sky. At once, birds mobilized and congregated in ceiba trees. They strategized and drew elaborate plans to rescue him with a raft made of discarded tires and burlap bags stolen from nearby coffee plantations. News of the event reached Langley, Virginia, where an irreverent votive was promptly lit and placed on a desktop before an intelligence agency of unrelenting believers cloaked by omniscient data points and bloodwrecked axe handles could surround a man issuing orders through a thick huff of cigar smoke. Instructed to categorize and subdue the conspiring birds, agents impersonated good-willed ornithologists after hastily fabricating advanced degrees and updating their vitaes, the stench of chlorophyll already emanating from their hair. In a single week, they planned for the elimination of all birds and the re-education of trees. 53 III. NESTOR’S DREAM Like a haze of lucíernagas falling, thousands dropping into a green ocean’s tight-lipped horizon Flickering, Nestor said, is how we ultimately go down Flickering And again flickering when we return again 54 IV. THE SKETCH Nestor sketched a clandestine aviary on his clipboard: remarkable architecture , thriving vegetation, and colorful dwellings for an immense chamber of winged inhabitants. Sighing, Nestor then planned for a spontaneous sublimation in the event of a probable siege. 55 V. THEY FOUND SOMETHING They found a crooked spoke that belonged to Nestor’s beloved bicycle in a landfill two miles out of town when a swarm of ants loosened the abduction’s mystery like a persistent wrecking ball. They found his umbrella at a rural southern bus station after a thousand bullets fell from the sky and quenched a death squad’s interminable lust for iron. They found his comb that smelled like ginger and grew antennas during lettuce season on a space station platform near the moon. They found his retainer on a cliff near a waterfall: remnants of quartz, and the ignorant DNA of a rabid breed of wealthy safari hunters. They discovered his wings in a storage unit on Hollywood Blvd. Eaglelike , patinaed appendages that shook themselves awake when LAPD swat kicked open the door and quickly surrounded them: “We’re Goya’s oeuvre, and we will not be apprehended today,” resisted the wings, before escaping through the gap in the fat captain’s teeth. ...

The impact of weather data sources on building energy retrofit design: case study in heating-dominated climate of Italian backcountry

ABSTRACTThis study proposes a replicable approach for evaluating the impact of different weather data sources during the building refurbishment. Starting from a deep energy diagnosis, the numerical model is calibrated by using the weather data and the energy billings of the same year. Then, the performance gap is evaluated due to the adoption of conventional or new weather files defined with data recently monitored in areas with different levels of urbanization. The final step is a sensitivity analysis on the energy, environmental and economic indexes for the refurbishment interventions. The proposed approach is applied to the student dormitory of the University of Molise, located in Campobasso, a city of south Italy with oceanic climate according to Köppen classification. The results highlight significant deviations on the estimated energy consumption as well as on the energetic and environmental indexes of the refurbishment design. Instead, the impact on the economic index is quite limited.HighlightsThe weather data of rural and urban stations are compared with typical weather files.The UHI effect in heating-dominated climate in central Italy is proved.The mathematical relation between HDD/CCD and weather data evolution is found.The impact of different weather files on building energy performance prevision is studied.Inaccuracies in energy saving, environmental and economic indexes are quantified.

Environmental Particulate Matter Levels during 2017 Large Forest Fires and Megafires in the Center Region of Portugal: A Public Health Concern?

This work characterizes the dimension and the exceptionality of 2017 large- and mega-fires that occurred in the center region of Portugal through the assessment of their impact on the ambient levels of particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5), retrieved from local monitoring stations, and the associated public health risks. PM10 and PM2.5 concentrations were increased during the occurrence of large fires and megafires, with daily concentrations exceeding the European/national guidelines in 7–14 and 1–12 days of 2017 (up to 704 µg/m3 for PM10 and 46 µg/m3 for PM2.5), respectively. PM10 concentrations were correlated with total burned area (0.500 < r < 0.949; p > 0.05) and with monthly total burned area/distance2 (0.500 < r < 0.667; p > 0.05). The forest fires of 2017 took the life of 112 citizens. A total of 474 cases of hospital admissions due to cardiovascular diseases and 3524 cases of asthma incidence symptoms per 100,000 individuals at risk were assessed due to exposure to 2017 forest fires. Real-time and in situ PM methodologies should be combined with protection action plans to reduce public health risks. Portuguese rural stations should monitor other health-relevant pollutants (e.g., carbon monoxide and volatile organic compounds) released from wildfires to allow performing more robust and comprehensive measurements that will allow a better assessment of the potential health risks for the exposed populations.

Surface and Aerodynamic Parameters Estimation for Urban and Rural Areas

Numerical weather prediction models require an accurate parametrization of the energy budget at the air-ground interface, that can be obtained only through long-term atmospheric boundary layer measurements at different spatial and temporal scales. Despite their importance, such measurements are still scarce even in well-characterized areas. In this paper, a three-year dataset from four micrometeorological stations run by the Regional Agency for Environmental Protection of Lazio was analyzed to estimate albedo, zero-displacement height, roughness length and surface properties over Rome and its suburbs, characterizing differences and interconnections between urban, suburban and rural areas of the same municipality. The integral albedo coefficient at the zenith for the urban station was found to be almost twice that for suburban and rural stations. The zero-displacement height of the urban site was strongly dependent on wind direction, with values varying between 12.0 and 17.8 m, while the roughness length (≈1.5 m) was almost independent of upwind direction, but it was significantly higher than the typical values calculated for rural stations (≈0.4 m). The apparent thermal capacities and thermal conductivity at all the non-urban sites were in fair agreement with each other and typical of soils with relatively low water content, as expected for a relatively dry Mediterranean area like Rome, while the apparent thermal diffusivity reflected the presence of different soil types.