journal article·2023-12-25Open access

Evaluation of the Urban Weather Generator on the City of Toulouse (France)

Hiba Hamdi, Laure Roupioz, Thomas Corpetti, Xavier Briottet

Applied Sciences· Volume 14· Issue 1

Abstract

This article addresses the simulation of urban air temperatures with a focus on evaluating the Urban Weather Generator (UWG) model over Toulouse, France. As urban temperatures, influenced by factors like urbanization, anthropogenic heat release, and complex urban geometry, exhibit an urban heat island (UHI) effect, understanding and mitigating UHI become crucial. With increasing global warming and urban populations, aiding urban planners necessitates accurate simulations requiring data at the canyon level. The paper evaluates UWG’s performance in simulating air temperatures under realistic conditions, emphasizing an operational context and a non-specialist user’s perspective. The evaluation includes selecting the most suitable meteorological station, assessing the impact of the rural station choice, and conducting a sensitivity analysis of input parameters. The validation demonstrates good agreement, with a mean bias error (MBE) of 0.02 °C and a root mean square error (RMSE) of 1.73 °C. However, we highlight the fact that UWG performs better in a densely urbanized area, and exhibits limitations in sensitivity to urban surface parameter variations, particularly in less urbanized areas.
Source: crossref · Quality: baseline

Research context

OpenAlex topics: Urban Heat Island Mitigation · Building Energy and Comfort Optimization · Wind and Air Flow Studies

SciVX discovery tags are terminology-based. OpenAlex topics are source-provided classifications.

Affiliations

Kermap, 1137a Av. des Champs Blancs, 35510 Cesson-Sévigné, France

Département Optique et Techniques Associées (DOTA), Office National d’études et de Recherches aéRospatiales (ONERA), Université de Toulouse, 2 Av. Edouard Belin BP74025, CEDEX 04, 31055 Toulouse, France

Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), UMR 6554 LETG, Campus Villejean, Maison de la Recherche, 6 Avenue Gaston Berger, 35000 Rennes, France

Funding

ANRT

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