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Atmosphere
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Thermo-Hygrometric Comfort in Outdoor Environments and Its Technological, Environmental and...
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Thermo-Hygrometric Comfort in Outdoor Environments and Its Technological, Environmental and Health Applications

A special issue of Atmosphere (ISSN 2073-4433). This special issue belongs to the section "Biometeorology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (5 September 2022) | Viewed by 9922

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Serena Falasca

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Physics, Sapienza University of Rome, Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy
Interests: atmospheric modeling; urban modeling; atmospheric boundary layer; urban areas; air quality
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Ferdinando Salata

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Astronautics, Electrical and Energetics Engineering, University of Rome “Sapienza”, 00184 Rome, Italy
Interests: human thermal comfort; urban microclimate; heat transmission; buildings physics; thermodynamics; computational optimization; energy efficiency; lighting systems; environmental acoustics
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

It is clear that the response of the “human thermal machine” to external thermo-hygrometric solicitation is extraordinarily complex and that the perception of such solicitation goes far beyond the thermodynamic balance. Suitable indices have been defined in order to quantify and predict the thermal comfort of normotype individuals who carry out their activities outdoor.

Guaranteeing outdoor conditions that protect human wellbeing is a common, universal goal that can be approached from different points of view, and which concerns different professional skills. Therefore, the introduction of these skills allows the implementation of new, multidisciplinary approaches to various topics in scientific disciplines which are otherwise distant from each other. For example, using these indices, health and social workers can mitigate risks associated with high thermo-hygrometric discomfort, especially for vulnerable people, and tourism operators can better manage tourist flows throughout the year depending on destination. Comfort indices can also help urban planners to design suitable outdoor meeting places and cities resilient to climate change, and they can also be used in the scheduling of travel for workers or athletes, or in the fashion industry.

The Special Issue on “Thermo-Hygrometric Comfort in Outdoor Environments and Its Technological, Environmental and Health Applications” will include notable contributions on all these aspects. Experts from all research fields are invited to share their ideas and experiences on these topics. Furthermore, this Special Issue will hopefully encourage debate on the future scenarios related to climate change and its effects on outdoor thermo-hygrometric comfort.

Dr. Serena Falasca
Prof. Dr. Ferdinando Salata
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Atmosphere is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Outdoor thermal comfort
  • Thermal adaptation
  • Outdoor microclimate
  • Climate change  
  • Technology
  • Environment
  • Health

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

17 pages, 8942 KiB  
Article
Outdoor Human Thermal Comfort along Bike Paths in Balneário Camboriú/SC, Brazil
by Luana Writzl, Cassio Arthur Wollmann, Iago Turba Costa, João Paulo Assis Gobo, Salman Shooshtarian and Andreas Matzarakis
Atmosphere 2022, 13(12), 2092; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos13122092 - 12 Dec 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1484
Abstract
This research is concerned with understanding the degree of human thermal (dis)comfort in connection with the various microclimates present in the vicinity of bike trails in Balneário Camboriú/SC, Brazil, throughout the summer. Local Climate Zones were determined using the Sky View Factor and [...] Read more.
This research is concerned with understanding the degree of human thermal (dis)comfort in connection with the various microclimates present in the vicinity of bike trails in Balneário Camboriú/SC, Brazil, throughout the summer. Local Climate Zones were determined using the Sky View Factor and were identified along research routes and schedules at 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. on a subtropical summer day (14 January 2022). Data were collected with weather devices attached to the bicycle, measuring air temperature, relative humidity, and globe temperature, from which the mean radiant temperature was calculated. The PET and UTCI indices were used to assess outdoor thermal comfort in the summer. The findings revealed that at 9:00 a.m., the eastern half of the city had a higher tendency for thermal discomfort; however, at 4:00 p.m., this same location had thermal comfort for users along bike routes. At 4:00 p.m., the PET index indicated that 24% of the bike paths were pleasant, and the UTCI index indicated that 100% of them were in thermal comfort. At 9:00 a.m., the majority of the city was under discomfort conditions. The index values reflect the morning time, and the study shows that there is now a negative correlation between the SVF and the indexes, which means that the greater the SVF computations, the lower the values are. The PET and UTCI indices revealed a positive association in the afternoon period: The greater the SVF values, the higher the PET and UTCI indices. Further research should be conducted in the future because many parameters, such as construction, position, and urban (im)permeability, as well as sea breeze and solar radiation, can have a significant impact on outdoor human thermal comfort in Balneário Camboriú, and when combined with the type of LCZ and the SVF, it is possible to understand how all of these active systems interact and form microclimates that are beneficial to bike path users. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Thermo-Hygrometric Comfort in Outdoor Environments and Its Technological, Environmental and Health Applications)
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20 pages, 6055 KiB  
Article
Convolutional Neural Network Model to Predict Outdoor Comfort UTCI Microclimate Map
by Guodong Zhong
Atmosphere 2022, 13(11), 1860; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos13111860 - 08 Nov 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1541
Abstract
Although research on applying machine learning to the performance of the built environment has been advancing considerably, outdoor environment prediction models still need to be more accurate. In this study, I investigated hybrid-driven methods for developing environmental performance prediction models and studied how [...] Read more.
Although research on applying machine learning to the performance of the built environment has been advancing considerably, outdoor environment prediction models still need to be more accurate. In this study, I investigated hybrid-driven methods for developing environmental performance prediction models and studied how machine learning algorithms may interpret spatial information in the context of an environmental performance simulation challenge. The simulation of the Universal Thermal Climate Index (UTCI) for outdoor applications served as an example. Specifically, I designed two different network structures, each with six neural network models. These neural network models were built with various numbers of layers, convolutional kernel sizes, and convolutional kernel layers. As shown by these models’ training results, I investigated the effect of model parameter settings on performance. In addition, I conducted interpretable analysis through the visual observation of hidden internal layers. The use of multilayer and small convolutional kernels, as well as an increase in the amount of training data, may be the reason neural network prediction performance was improved. From the perspective of interpretability analysis, the convolutional layer can more accurately analyze building space problems, and full connection layers focus more on the regression between the spatial features and performance results. This “space analysis → data regression” network structure can be expanded to wind environment forecasting or heat environment in the future. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Thermo-Hygrometric Comfort in Outdoor Environments and Its Technological, Environmental and Health Applications)
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19 pages, 7096 KiB  
Article
Primary Exploration of Leisure Path Design along Songhua River by a Small Number of Sample Experiment, Considering Several Multiple Indexes
by Tianyu Xi, Xinyue Zhang, Wenxin Jin, Weiqing Xu, Yu Wu and Huan Qin
Atmosphere 2022, 13(8), 1165; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos13081165 - 22 Jul 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1306
Abstract
The waterfront park in northern China always has two parallel leisure pathways, a sunshine pathway and a tree-shaded pathway, which is attributed to the seasonal variations in water level. To provide some design suggestions according to the local characteristics of the waterfront park [...] Read more.
The waterfront park in northern China always has two parallel leisure pathways, a sunshine pathway and a tree-shaded pathway, which is attributed to the seasonal variations in water level. To provide some design suggestions according to the local characteristics of the waterfront park in northern China, this study selected six young volunteers to take part in an outdoor field experiment and a questionnaire survey in Stalin Park of Songhua River in Harbin, China. During the experiment, the volunteers’ local skin temperature and core temperature were recorded, with their subjective responses recorded every 5 min, including thermal comfort, thermal sensation, thermal pleasure, and fatigue scale vote. This study found that, compared with the sunshine pathway, the tree-shaded pathway not only optimized people’s outdoor thermal comfort and thermal pleasure, but also improved their fatigue scale vote experience. Some evidence showed that people’s subjective response to the outdoor thermal environment might be influenced by physical factors (temperature, velocity, humidity, radiation, etc.) and may also be influenced by the surrounding landscape view (water, square, lawn, tree, etc.). The first piece of evidence is that, during the first 10 min, people’s thermal sensation in the sunshine pathway group was high, but they kept voting for high thermal comfort, which may be due to the influence of the waterfront view on people’s subjective response to thermal comfort. The second piece of evidence shows that people’s overall thermal sensation was calculated by their local thermal sensation, looking at former research, with the voting results very different to the calculated results, which could be attributed to the influence of diversity landscape elements on people’s subjective response to thermal sensation. Based on these results, some suggestions for the leisure pathway design along Stalin Park of Songhua River in Harbin, China, were given. The shaded device of the sunshine pathway should be designed in 15-min-walk intervals and accessible ways to the tree-shaded pathway should be added. The other facilities should be designed with 30 min walking distance on the tree-shaded pathway and 20 min walking distance to the sunshine pathway. Diversified landscapes should be designed for both the tree-shaded pathway and sunshine pathway, which could improve people’s outdoor thermal comfort and the general subjective response to the environment. It is worth noting that the sample size of this study was small (6), and the participants were all homogenous young people (age, height, weight); thus, this study could be considered a preliminary work and the results and applicability have limitations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Thermo-Hygrometric Comfort in Outdoor Environments and Its Technological, Environmental and Health Applications)
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22 pages, 6177 KiB  
Article
Study on the Influence of Globe Thermometer Method on the Accuracy of Calculating Outdoor Mean Radiant Temperature and Thermal Comfort
by Kuixing Liu, Weijie You, Xiyue Chen and Wenyu Liu
Atmosphere 2022, 13(5), 809; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos13050809 - 16 May 2022
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 1997
Abstract
With global warming and the rapid development of urbanization, the outdoor thermal environment is deteriorating. More and more research focuses on the outdoor thermal environment and thermal comfort. The globe thermometer method is widely used in more than half of the outdoor thermal [...] Read more.
With global warming and the rapid development of urbanization, the outdoor thermal environment is deteriorating. More and more research focuses on the outdoor thermal environment and thermal comfort. The globe thermometer method is widely used in more than half of the outdoor thermal environment research studies, but there is a large error compared with the six-direction method. In order to explore the accuracy of the results of the globe thermometer method and its impact on the subsequent thermal comfort indicators, this study carried out a year-round comparative experiment under multiple working conditions outdoors in cold areas to explore the impact of meteorological parameters such as shortwave radiation, wind speed, and wind direction on the results of the globe thermometer method. The results show that the continuous increase of shortwave radiation reduces the accuracy of the black bulb thermometer to less than 60%, and the instantaneous change of wind speed will make the deviation of the mean radiation temperature obtained by the globe thermometer method exceed 5 °C. The influence of the mean radiation temperature obtained by the globe thermometer method on the thermal comfort index is mainly reflected in the working condition of a high temperature and strong radiation in summer. Taking the six-direction method as the standard, this study gives the scope of application of the globe thermometer method; and taking the human body calculation model of PET as an example, a universal optimization method for detailed division of radiation heat transfer calculation is proposed, so that it can get more accurate and rigorous conclusions in the evaluation of outdoor complex radiation environment. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Thermo-Hygrometric Comfort in Outdoor Environments and Its Technological, Environmental and Health Applications)
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25 pages, 8759 KiB  
Article
Numerical Study on Microclimate and Outdoor Thermal Comfort of Street Canyon Typology in Extremely Hot Weather—A Case Study of Busan, South Korea
by Jindong Wu, Han Chang and Seonghwan Yoon
Atmosphere 2022, 13(2), 307; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos13020307 - 11 Feb 2022
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2344
Abstract
As cities are extremely vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, they are fundamental in addressing these changes. However, streets, which are external spaces accessed by citizens in daily life, play an important role in improving the urban environment and public health. This [...] Read more.
As cities are extremely vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, they are fundamental in addressing these changes. However, streets, which are external spaces accessed by citizens in daily life, play an important role in improving the urban environment and public health. This study considered Busan in South Korea as a case study to investigate street canyons, including street canyon geometries and tree configurations, of old, present, and new city centers. The influence of morphological factors on the microclimate and outdoor thermal comfort was evaluated using the ENVI-met program for extremely hot weather. Changes in the street width, street orientation, and street canyon aspect ratio had a significantly higher impact on the microclimate and thermal comfort index (p < 0.01). These results indicated that the orientation of the main street should be consistent with the prevailing wind direction of Busan. Further, the shading of adjacent buildings improved the outdoor thermal comfort and reduced the significance of tree configuration in deeper street canyons. In addition, tree height had a more significant impact on street environment than other tree configuration factors, especially when the tree height increased from 9 m to 12 m. We recommended that the thermal comfort level can be improved by dynamically adjusting the relationship between the planting distance and tree height in streets having shallow street canyons. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Thermo-Hygrometric Comfort in Outdoor Environments and Its Technological, Environmental and Health Applications)
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