Micrometeorological measurements and biometeorological survey in different urban settings of Novi Sad (Serbia)

Abstract

Due to rapid urbanisation, urban microclimate research has become increasingly popular in the last decade. Significant variation in microclimate conditions can be created due to diversity in urban geometry and it can affect outdoor thermal comfort. Biometeorological measurements and survey were conducted in different urban settings (square, park, street) of the city of Novi Sad during a warm autumn day in October 2019. Air temperature, relative humidity, wind speed and globe temperature, but also outdoor thermal comfort indices such as Mean Radiant Temperature (Tmrt) and Physiological Equivalent Temperature (PET) were obtained for each location. The largest differences in the biometeorological conditions are noticed between the urban park and other urban areas. The maximum average value of Ta was at the city square with 27.9 oC, while in the urban park and street Ta were about 25 oC. The values of RH were the lowest at the city square. Globe temperature (Tg) had the highest values, on average, at the city square (about 40 oC), while the average values in the urban park and street were about 26-28 oC. The highest average PET values are registered at the city square (41.4 oC), followed by substantially lower average PET registered in urban park (27.1 oC) and urban street canyon (26.2 oC). The analysis showed that during about 70% of the time, urban dwellers experience extreme heat stress at the city square. Contrary to that, no extreme heat stress is noticed in urban park and street canyon.