Thermal environmental problems, including the heat island effect, have become serious in urban areas of Japan, and they are regarded as the epitome of urban environmental problems. It is important to understand the actual situations and mechanisms of thermal environment for taking measures against the problems and creating comfortable urban environments. This course, therefore, explains the fundamentals of urban environmental problems, the actual situations and mechanisms of the heat island effects, heat balance on urban surfaces, the fundamentals of radiative heat transfer, remote sensing of thermal environment, thermal comfort and the effects of human activities on the thermal environment.
By the end of this course, students will be able to:
1) Understand the fundamentals and mechanisms of heat balance on urban surfaces.
2) Learn monitoring methods for urban thermal environments by using observation techniques, including remote sensing.
3) Understand the relationship between thermal environment and thermal comfort, in order that students can discuss the way to create comfortable urban environments.
Urban environment, Thermal environment, Heat island, Heat balance, Remote sensing, Themal comfort, Anthropogenic heat emission
✔ Specialist skills | Intercultural skills | Communication skills | ✔ Critical thinking skills | ✔ Practical and/or problem-solving skills |
The class proceeds with handouts. In the latter part of the fourth class, students are given exercise problems related to the lectures. At the end of the class, students are given a report assignment related to the contents of lectures.
Course schedule | Required learning | |
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Class 1 | Urban environemntal problems | Understand the fundamental of urban environmental problems. |
Class 2 | Heat island effect and the mechanisms | Explain the actual situations and mechanisms of the heat island effect. |
Class 3 | Heat balance on ground surfaces | Explain heat balances on urban surfaces using related equations. |
Class 4 | Fundamental of radiative heat transfer | Explain radiative heat transfer using related equations. Midterm exam for the first half |
Class 5 | Fundamental of remote sensing for thermal environment | Understand type and fundamental of remote sensing techniques for urbanized area. |
Class 6 | Application of remote sensing for thermal environment | Acquire monitoring methods for urban thermal environments by using remote sensing techniques. |
Class 7 | Themal environment and comfort | Understand the relationship between thermal environment and thermal comfort. |
Class 8 | Human activities and themal environemnt -Anthropogenic heat emission- | Understand the relationship between human activities and the thermal environements in view of building energy use and anthropogenic heat emission. Report |
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Students' knowledge of the heat island effect, heat balance on urban surfaces, the fundamental of radiative heat transfer, remote sensing of thermal environment, thermal comfort and the effects of human activities on the thermal environment will be assessed.
Midterm exam 50%, final report 50%.
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