93
© The Author(s) 2016
F. Musco (ed.), Counteracting Urban Heat Island Effects in a Global Climate
Change Scenario, DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-10425-6_4
Chapter 4
Relevance of Thermal Indices
for the Assessment of the Urban Heat Island
Andreas Matzarakis, Letizia Martinelli, and Christine Ketterer
Abstract Urban areas, with their specific characteristics, modify the atmosphere
and produce their own meso- and micro climate. The major aspect of this chapter is
the discussion of methods for the quantification and assessment of the urban microclimate and the most known and world-wide studied phenomenon, the Urban Heat
Island (UHI). Four urban measurement stations and one rural measurement station
are used to quantify the temporal and spatial climatic characteristics in Stuttgart,
Germany. For the quantification of the urban micro-climate and the UHI human
thermal, comfort indices were applied. These indices, namely Physiologically
Equivalent Temperature and the Universal Thermal Climate Index, are used to
describe the integral effect of urban thermal atmosphere, based on the energy
exchange of the human body. These indices, following the concept of equivalent
temperature, are applied to quantify the integral effect of air temperature, air humidity, wind and radiation fluxes, expressed as mean radiant temperature.
Keywords Thermal Comfort • Physiologically Equivalent Temperature • Human
Biometeorology
A. Matzarakis (*)
Albert-Ludwigs-University of Freiburg, Werthmannstr. 10, D-79085, Freiburg, Germany
Research Center Human Biometeorology, German Meteorological Service,
Stefan-Meier-Str. 10, D-70104, Freiburg, Germany
e-mail: andreas.matzarakis@dwd.de
L. Martinelli
Chair of Environmental Meteorology, Albert-Ludwigs-University, Freiburg, Germany
Department of Planning, Design and Technology of Architecture, Sapienza University,
Via Flaminia 72, 00196 Rome, Italy
C. Ketterer
Albert-Ludwigs-University of Freiburg, Werthmannstr. 10, D-79085, Freiburg, Germany
iMA Richter & Roeckle, Eisenbahnstrasse 43, 79098, Freiburg, Germany
© The Author(s) 2016
F. Musco (ed.), Counteracting Urban Heat Island Effects in a Global Climate
Change Scenario, DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-10425-6_4
Chapter 4
Relevance of Thermal Indices
for the Assessment of the Urban Heat Island
Andreas Matzarakis, Letizia Martinelli, and Christine Ketterer
Abstract Urban areas, with their specific characteristics, modify the atmosphere
and produce their own meso- and micro climate. The major aspect of this chapter is
the discussion of methods for the quantification and assessment of the urban microclimate and the most known and world-wide studied phenomenon, the Urban Heat
Island (UHI). Four urban measurement stations and one rural measurement station
are used to quantify the temporal and spatial climatic characteristics in Stuttgart,
Germany. For the quantification of the urban micro-climate and the UHI human
thermal, comfort indices were applied. These indices, namely Physiologically
Equivalent Temperature and the Universal Thermal Climate Index, are used to
describe the integral effect of urban thermal atmosphere, based on the energy
exchange of the human body. These indices, following the concept of equivalent
temperature, are applied to quantify the integral effect of air temperature, air humidity, wind and radiation fluxes, expressed as mean radiant temperature.
Keywords Thermal Comfort • Physiologically Equivalent Temperature • Human
Biometeorology
A. Matzarakis (*)
Albert-Ludwigs-University of Freiburg, Werthmannstr. 10, D-79085, Freiburg, Germany
Research Center Human Biometeorology, German Meteorological Service,
Stefan-Meier-Str. 10, D-70104, Freiburg, Germany
e-mail: andreas.matzarakis@dwd.de
L. Martinelli
Chair of Environmental Meteorology, Albert-Ludwigs-University, Freiburg, Germany
Department of Planning, Design and Technology of Architecture, Sapienza University,
Via Flaminia 72, 00196 Rome, Italy
C. Ketterer
Albert-Ludwigs-University of Freiburg, Werthmannstr. 10, D-79085, Freiburg, Germany
iMA Richter & Roeckle, Eisenbahnstrasse 43, 79098, Freiburg, Germany