Microclimate Evaluation of the Hradec Králové City using HUMIDEX

  • Jaroslav ROŽNOVSKÝ Czech bioclimatological society, Kroftova 43, 616 67 Brno
  • Tomáš LITSCHMANN RNDr. Tomáš Litschmann, Moravský Žižkov
  • Hana STŘEDOVÁ Faculty of Agronomy, Mendel University, Brno, Zemědělská 1, 613 00 Brno
  • Tomáš STŘEDA Faculty of Agronomy, Mendel University, Brno, Zemědělská 1, 613 00 Brno
  • Petr SALAŠ Faculty of Horticulture, Mendel University, Brno, Valtická 337, 691 44 Lednice
  • Marie HORKÁ Faculty of Horticulture, Mendel University, Brno, Valtická 337, 691 44 Lednice
Keywords: city, urban heat island, green areas, humidex, discomfort, Hradec Králov´é

Abstract

Urban environment differs from the surrounding landscape in terms of the values of meteorological parameters. This is often referred to as the urban heat island (UHI), which in simple terms means higher air temperatures in cities. The cause of these changes lies in the different active surfaces in cities, which subsequently results in a different radiation balance. The higher temperatures, however, also affect the living conditions in the city and during very high temperature periods can have negative effects on the health of the city inhabitants. The results presented in this paper are based on measurements taken over several years at locations near Hradec Králové, which is surrounded by different surface areas. Environment analysis was performed using the Humidex index. The obtained results show that replacing green areas with built-up areas affects temperatures in the city, when air temperatures are very high they significantly increase the discomfort of the inhabitants. Differences in the frequency of discomfort levels are observed especially during periods of high temperatures, at lower temperatures these differences are not significant. Higher frequencies of discomfort are observed at locations with artificial surfaces (asphalt, cobblestones, concrete) and in closed spaces. In contrast, locations with lots of green areas almost always have the value of this index lower or more balanced. The results should therefore be a valid argument for maintaining and extending green areas in cities.

Published
2017-09-30
How to Cite
ROŽNOVSKÝ, J., LITSCHMANN, T., STŘEDOVÁ, H., STŘEDA, T., SALAŠ, P., & HORKÁ, M. (2017). Microclimate Evaluation of the Hradec Králové City using HUMIDEX. Contributions to Geophysics and Geodesy, 47(3), 231-246. https://doi.org/10.1515/congeo-2017-0012
Section
original research papers