Radiation and Temperature of a Tropical Grassland in Summer Times: Experimental Observations
The surface texture of urbanized regions is altered by the replacement of natural vegetated surfaces with hardened pavement surfaces, which have been described as a heat source for the formation of urban heat islands. Grasslands may store rainfall in their roots and leaves for later cooling, but thi...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2023-03-01
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| Series: | Atmosphere |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4433/14/4/649 |
| _version_ | 1797606434722021376 |
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| author | Yunan Lu Tianyu Wang Chan Huang Yinghong Qin |
| author_facet | Yunan Lu Tianyu Wang Chan Huang Yinghong Qin |
| author_sort | Yunan Lu |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The surface texture of urbanized regions is altered by the replacement of natural vegetated surfaces with hardened pavement surfaces, which have been described as a heat source for the formation of urban heat islands. Grasslands may store rainfall in their roots and leaves for later cooling, but this has received little attention. This study investigated the radiant flux and temperature of a tropical grassland throughout the summer in order to understand the albedo, long-wave radiation, short-wave radiation, and surface temperature of the grassland over 10 days. The grassland had an albedo of 0.13, which did not fluctuate during the day compared to the albedo of other surfaces in metropolitan areas. Even if the local weather changes considerably, this albedo does not alter significantly. The surface temperature and the air temperature above the grassland increase linearly with the upwelling reflectance, incident solar radiation, and upwelling long-wave radiation. These two temperatures do not correspond with downwelling long-wave radiation, which is influenced by cloud cover in the sky. However, the peaks of these temperatures lag behind the incident shortwave radiation and net radiation that reaches the grassland surface. The finding that the thermal properties of grasslands could be harnessed to reduce the heat absorbed by urban surfaces provides valuable insights into the grasslands’ potential to mitigate the impacts of urbanization on temperature. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T05:15:08Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-840f45ed62f24870b09207148eb79281 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2073-4433 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T05:15:08Z |
| publishDate | 2023-03-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Atmosphere |
| spelling | doaj.art-840f45ed62f24870b09207148eb792812023-11-17T18:16:51ZengMDPI AGAtmosphere2073-44332023-03-0114464910.3390/atmos14040649Radiation and Temperature of a Tropical Grassland in Summer Times: Experimental ObservationsYunan Lu0Tianyu Wang1Chan Huang2Yinghong Qin3Guangxi Hualan Geotechincal Engineering Limited Company (Group Co., Ltd.), 38 Wangzhou Road Beierli, Xixiangtang District, Nanning 530001, ChinaCollege of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Guangxi University, 100 University Road, Nanning 530004, ChinaSchool of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Guangxi Minzu University, 188 University Road, Nanning 530006, ChinaSchool of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Guangxi Minzu University, 188 University Road, Nanning 530006, ChinaThe surface texture of urbanized regions is altered by the replacement of natural vegetated surfaces with hardened pavement surfaces, which have been described as a heat source for the formation of urban heat islands. Grasslands may store rainfall in their roots and leaves for later cooling, but this has received little attention. This study investigated the radiant flux and temperature of a tropical grassland throughout the summer in order to understand the albedo, long-wave radiation, short-wave radiation, and surface temperature of the grassland over 10 days. The grassland had an albedo of 0.13, which did not fluctuate during the day compared to the albedo of other surfaces in metropolitan areas. Even if the local weather changes considerably, this albedo does not alter significantly. The surface temperature and the air temperature above the grassland increase linearly with the upwelling reflectance, incident solar radiation, and upwelling long-wave radiation. These two temperatures do not correspond with downwelling long-wave radiation, which is influenced by cloud cover in the sky. However, the peaks of these temperatures lag behind the incident shortwave radiation and net radiation that reaches the grassland surface. The finding that the thermal properties of grasslands could be harnessed to reduce the heat absorbed by urban surfaces provides valuable insights into the grasslands’ potential to mitigate the impacts of urbanization on temperature.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4433/14/4/649air temperaturesurface temperaturereflectancesolar radiationlong-wave radiationlag effect |
| spellingShingle | Yunan Lu Tianyu Wang Chan Huang Yinghong Qin Radiation and Temperature of a Tropical Grassland in Summer Times: Experimental Observations Atmosphere air temperature surface temperature reflectance solar radiation long-wave radiation lag effect |
| title | Radiation and Temperature of a Tropical Grassland in Summer Times: Experimental Observations |
| title_full | Radiation and Temperature of a Tropical Grassland in Summer Times: Experimental Observations |
| title_fullStr | Radiation and Temperature of a Tropical Grassland in Summer Times: Experimental Observations |
| title_full_unstemmed | Radiation and Temperature of a Tropical Grassland in Summer Times: Experimental Observations |
| title_short | Radiation and Temperature of a Tropical Grassland in Summer Times: Experimental Observations |
| title_sort | radiation and temperature of a tropical grassland in summer times experimental observations |
| topic | air temperature surface temperature reflectance solar radiation long-wave radiation lag effect |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4433/14/4/649 |
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