PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

White roofs and more green areas would mitigate the effects of heat waves in cities

A study by the ICTA-UAB evaluates the effectiveness of different urban solutions to reduce the temperature in the Metropolitan Area of Barcelona

2021-05-18
(Press-News.org) The frequency and intensity of heat waves in cities is increasing due to climate change, with a great negative impact on the health and mortality rates of the population. Anthropogenic activities and urban materials affect heat accumulation in cities, and solar radiation stored throughout the day on asphalt and buildings is released slowly during the night, generating significant heat stress. To face this growing problem, cities must establish effective mitigation strategies that allow reducing the temperature during heat waves.

A study carried out by researchers from the Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals of the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (ICTA-UAB) assesses the effectiveness of solutions such as the creation of cool (white) roofs on the buildings and the expansion of urban green areas in the Barcelona Metropolitan Area (AMB). The results, recently published in the scientific journal Urban Climate, show that the combined application of these two strategies would allow achieving the highest rates of temperature reduction during these summer episodes.

To conduct the study, the researchers used a meteorological model that included eleven different typologies of urban areas in the AMB and simulated the heat wave recorded in July 2015, when daytime temperatures reached between 35º C and 40º C, and night temperatures exceeded 25ºC.

The study simulated different mitigation scenarios based on solutions such as the creation of cool roofs on residential and industrial buildings, or the increase of green areas according to the targets set by the Urban Master Plan (PDU) of the AMB. Cool rooftops can be obtained by painting the roofs white to increase the albedo, that is, the percentage of radiation that reflects from the surface, and that is not absorbed by the building. For its part, the PDU calls for the addition of 6 urban parks and green areas with a total of 255.64 ha by 2030, which means increasing the vegetation from 32.54% to 35.92%.

The four scenarios analysed the effects of increasing the albedo of certain rooftops to 0.85 by painting them white, preferably flat and accessible roofs; increase urban green areas with a daily irrigation of 2 l/m2, and with a higher irrigation of 5 l/m2. The last scenario combined the option of cool roofs with the creation of additional green areas with irrigation of 5 l/m2.

The results show that the scenario that combines the two strategies is the one with the greatest impact, with an average temperature reduction of 1.26ºC. The reduction reaches 4.73ºC during the day (at 3pm), and 1.88ºC at night (9pm). This decrease in heat also has positive effects on energy consumption, with 26% less spending on air conditioning.

The first scenario with cool roofs allows the average temperature to be reduced by 0.67ºC, but is more effective during the day, reaching a maximum reduction of 3.83ºC at 3 pm, compared to the maximum decrease of 1.63ºC at night (7h). The strategy of increasing the green areas reduces the temperature to a lesser extent, although it offers better results in the scenario with greater irrigation (decrease of 0.15ºC on average for irrigation of 2 l/m2, compared to a decrease of 0.61ºC in the scenario with irrigation of 5 l/m2). "We have seen that when irrigation is increased, the reduction in daytime temperature improves notably thanks to the cooling effect caused by evapotranspiration", says Joan Gilabert, lead author of the study.

Despite the reduction in temperature in all the scenarios studied, the thermal regulation resulting from the combination of the two strategies (white roofs and green areas) is the one with the greatest impact. "It combines the benefits of reducing the temperature at nighttime due to more urban green areas, with the reduction of daytime heat due to the increased albedo and irrigation, thereby abating the heat wave effects throughout a 24-hours period", explains Sergi Ventura, co-author of the study. He adds that white rooftops lower the temperatures in the central and denser urban areas, while parks help to reduce the heat in the areas closest to them.

This study exemplifies how such urban modelling efforts can aid city-level decision-makers in best strategizing urban planning to counteract the impacts of heat waves, which are foreseen to increase due to global climate change and the intensification of urbanization rates.

INFORMATION:



ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Time to capitalize on COVID-19 disruptions to lock-in greener behaviors

2021-05-18
As lockdown measures ease this week in the UK, environmental psychologists are urging that before rushing back to business as normal, we take advantage of the shifts observed over the past year to lock-in new, greener behaviours. Writing in the journal END ...

Peatlands pose complex, poorly understood wildfire risk, researchers warn

Peatlands pose complex, poorly understood wildfire risk, researchers warn
2021-05-18
HAMILTON, ON May 18, 2021 -- Five years after the disastrous wildfire in Fort McMurray, Alberta, researchers are warning that the complex role of peatlands, a factor critical to projecting the risk and behaviour of future fires, is missing from the forecasting model. The Fort McMurray fire burned out of control from May 1 to July 5, 2016, though it continued to smoulder until it was finally declared extinguished Aug. 2, 2017. Peat deposits - which are prevalent across Canada, especially in Alberta - are complex threats that can complicate and magnify the risk of severe, long-lasting fires and heavy smoke, but they are not yet part of the standard assessment tools that fire managers use. It's a critical ...

People who have had dengue are twice as likely to develop symptomatic COVID-19

People who have had dengue are twice as likely to develop symptomatic COVID-19
2021-05-18
A study published this May in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases suggests that people who have had dengue in the past are twice as likely to develop symptoms of COVID-19 if they are infected by the novel coronavirus. The findings of the study were based on an analysis of blood samples from 1,285 inhabitants of Mâncio Lima, a small town in the state of Acre, part of Brazil’s Amazon region. The principal investigator was Marcelo Urbano Ferreira, a professor at the University of São Paulo’s Biomedical Sciences Institute (ICB-USP) in Brazil. The study was supported by FAPESP. “Our results show that the populations most exposed to dengue, possibly owing to socio-demographic factors, are precisely ...

How a virtual program may help kids get ready for kindergarten

2021-05-18
COLUMBUS, Ohio - With pandemic lockdowns still in place last summer, The Ohio State University couldn't host its in-person Summer Success Program to help preschoolers from low-income families prepare for kindergarten. Staff and teachers quickly pivoted to a fully virtual program, but they were worried: Could this really work with 4- and 5-year-olds who had no previous experience with preschool? A new study suggested it did. Researchers found that the reimagined Summer Success at Home program was feasible to operate, was popular with teachers and parents, and had at least modest success in helping the children learn ...

Socioeconomic status non-factor in worse COVID-19 for racial, ethnic groups in Twin Cities

2021-05-18
MINNEAPOLIS/ST. PAUL (03/18/2021) -- A research team, led by the University of Minnesota Medical School, found that regardless of socioeconomic status, Twin Cities residents of underrepresented racial and ethnic backgrounds endure worse COVID-19 outcomes compared to people who are white. The study was just published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine and is one of the first papers to discuss which social and cultural factors, including non-English speaking, may or may not contribute to racial and ethnic health disparities related to COVID-19. "For people of color, even in the highest socioeconomic status, our data shows they still have worse COVID-19 outcomes compared to people who are white," said Nicholas Ingraham, MD, a third-year fellow in the ...

Iran's groundwater depletion is reaching crisis levels, warn Concordia researchers

Irans groundwater depletion is reaching crisis levels, warn Concordia researchers
2021-05-18
More than three quarters of Iran's land is under extreme groundwater overdraft, where the rate of human uptake is higher than the rate of natural recharge. This is according to a new study led by Concordia researchers published in the Nature journal Scientific Reports. The article was co-authored by Samaneh Ashraf, a former Horizon postdoctoral researcher now at the Université de Montréal, and Ali Nazemi, an assistant professor in the Department of Building, Civil and Environmental Engineering. Amir AghaKouchak of the University of California, ...

How Russia can protect its rights in the Artic

2021-05-18
Climate change-induced ice melting in the Arctic has led to contradictions in the assessment of Russia's rights in the region. As ice cover diminishes, Russia may be losing its influence on the territories that it has historically developed. This is partially due to the changing width of territorial waters by low-water lines. However, there are alternative legally valid ways to establish fair borders, which are described by researchers of the HSE Institute of Ecology in their paper 'Prospects for the evolution of the system of baselines in the Arctic' https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/13/8/1082/htm. Baselines are one of the key factors shaping international maritime law. From these lines the breadth of a territorial sea is measured, over ...

Conn. medication-assisted opioid treatment programs retain patients at higher rates

2021-05-18
Medication-assisted treatment, or MAT, is an important tool in the ongoing fight against opioid use dependence in the United States. Employing certain medications in combination with counseling and behavioral therapy, MAT offers a comprehensive, "whole-patient" approach to addressing opioid use. According to a new study from researchers at the UConn School of Social Work and the Connecticut Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services, Connecticut's MAT programs have higher-than-average patient retention rates - more people who enter Connecticut's programs stay in the program to completion. But the study - recently published in the journal Substance Use and Misuse - also found that ...

New testing platform for COVID-19 is an efficient and accurate alternative to gold-standard RT-qPCR tests

New testing platform for COVID-19 is an efficient and accurate alternative to gold-standard RT-qPCR tests
2021-05-18
Philadelphia, May 18, 2021 - Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, supply chain shortages of reagents and test kits have limited the rapid expansion of clinical testing needed to contain the virus. Investigators have developed and validated a new microchip real-time technology platform that uses 10-fold less reagents compared to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)-approved tube-based RT-PCR tests, and reports results in as little as 30 minutes. Its accuracy was 100 percent predictive in clinical samples, investigators explain in the Journal of Molecular Diagnostics, published by Elsevier. "Sensitivity is critical for early detection of COVID-19 ...

New material could create 'neurons' and 'synapses' for new computers

New material could create neurons and synapses for new computers
2021-05-18
Classic computers use binary values (0/1) to perform. By contrast, our brain cells can use more values to operate, making them more energy-efficient than computers. This is why scientists are interested in neuromorphic (brain-like) computing. Physicists from the University of Groningen (the Netherlands) have used a complex oxide to create elements comparable to the neurons and synapses in the brain using spins, a magnetic property of electrons. Their results were published on 18 May in the journal Frontiers in Nanotechnology. Although computers can do straightforward calculations much faster than humans, our brains outperform silicon machines in tasks like object recognition. Furthermore, our brain uses less energy than ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Genetic causes of cerebral palsy uncovered through whole-genome sequencing

Modesty and boastfulness – perception depends on usual performance

Do sweeteners increase your appetite? New evidence from randomised controlled trial says no 

Women with obesity do not need to gain weight during pregnancy, new study suggests

Individuals with multiple sclerosis face substantially greater risk of hospitalisation and death from COVID-19, despite high rates of vaccination

Study shows obesity in childhood associated with a more than doubling of risk of developing multiple sclerosis in early adulthood

Rice Emerging Scholars Program receives $2.5M NSF grant to boost STEM education

Virtual rehabilitation provides benefits for stroke recovery

Generative AI develops potential new drugs for antibiotic-resistant bacteria

Biofuels could help island nations survive a global catastrophe, study suggests

NJIT research team discovering how fluids behave in nanopores with NSF grant

New study shows association of historical housing discrimination and shortfalls in colon cancer treatment

Social media use may help to empower plastic surgery patients

Q&A: How to train AI when you don't have enough data

Wayne State University researchers uncover potential treatment targets for Zika virus-related eye abnormalities

Discovering Van Gogh in the wild: scientists unveil a new gecko species

Small birds spice up the already diverse diet of spotted hyenas in Namibia

Imaging detects transient “hypoxic pockets” in the mouse brain

Dissolved organic matter could be used to track and improve the health of freshwaters

Indoor air quality standards in public buildings would boost health and economy, say international experts

Positive associations between premenstrual disorders and perinatal depression

New imaging method illuminates oxygen's journey in the brain

Researchers discover key gene for toxic alkaloid in barley

New approach to monitoring freshwater quality can identify sources of pollution, and predict their effects

Bidirectional link between premenstrual disorders and perinatal depression

Cell division quality control ‘stopwatch’ uncovered

Vaccine protects cattle from bovine tuberculosis, may eliminate disease

Andrew Siemion to receive the SETI Institute’s 2024 Drake Award

New study shows how the Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus enters our cells

Neoadjuvant chemotherapy proves effective for locally advanced penile squamous cell carcinoma

[Press-News.org] White roofs and more green areas would mitigate the effects of heat waves in cities
A study by the ICTA-UAB evaluates the effectiveness of different urban solutions to reduce the temperature in the Metropolitan Area of Barcelona