[Urban Micro-Scale Thermal Environment Simulation Supported by UAV Thermal Infrared Data].

Area of Science:

• Urban Climatology
• Environmental Modeling
• Remote Sensing

Context:

• Rising demand for healthy urban living necessitates accurate micro-scale thermal environment analysis.
• Traditional ground measurements have limitations for capturing detailed surface temperature fields.
• High-precision surface temperature field simulation is crucial for urban micro-climate research.

Purpose:

• To evaluate and compare the performance of ENVI-met and PALM-4U numerical simulation software for urban micro-thermal environment studies.
• To assess the spatial accuracy and applicability of these models using UAV-derived thermal infrared data.
• To identify factors influencing simulation accuracy, such as surface type and occlusion.

Summary:

• UAV-based thermal infrared imaging was used in Nanjing to collect surface temperature data.
• ENVI-met and PALM-4U simulations were conducted and validated against measured data.
• Results show high spatial accuracy for numerical simulations, with ENVI-met outperforming PALM-4U, especially under occlusion.

Impact:

• Numerical simulations, particularly with ENVI-met, offer a viable high-resolution approach for urban micro-thermal environment research.
• Findings provide insights into model performance on different surfaces (artificial vs. natural, open vs. non-open).
• This research serves as a reference for future high-resolution remote sensing studies in urban climatology.