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Impact of urban environment features on the microclimates of Tartu
Organization(s):Estonian Learning Expedition
Country:Estonia
Student(s):Mari-Ann Loit, Kaili Merila, Triinu Liis Kuul, Viktoria Kangro, Milana Kostenko, Lisete Jõesaar, Ljubov Melnik, Jelizaveta Štšura, Riin Värton, Liisa Loreena Värton
Grade Level:Secondary School (grades 9-12, ages 14-18)
GLOBE Educator(s):Uku Andreas Reigo, Laura Altin, Johanna Raudsepp
Contributors:
Report Type(s):International Virtual Science Symposium Report
Protocols:Air Temperature, Barometric Pressure, Relative Humidity
Presentation Poster:
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Language(s):English
Date Submitted:03/05/2024
As 56% of the global population live in urban areas and thus are being affected by the
microclimates of cities, it is important to be aware of their connections, changes and impact on the respective surroundings. That is why we decided to observe the atmospheric aspects of different sites - to see if the greenery that cities are trying to bring in is beneficial to the people residing there. The aim of our study was to find out how the features of an urban environment affect the respective microclimates.
We posed the following research questions: most importantly, how does the abundance of vegetation impact temperature and humidity compare to technological areas? How does the
distance to water bodies impact temperature and humidity? Is there a difference of pressure between places at various elevations?
Our hypotheses: the temperature is higher and humidity lower near technological surfaces
compared to green areas; there is higher humidity and a slight difference in temperature near water bodies; there is lower pressure at higher elevation.
On 08.08.23 we collected atmospheric protocols from 8 locations across the city of Tartu, Estonia,
visiting each spot twice. The sites differed by the amount of vegetation and technological surfaces, distance from water and altitude. Our group gathered data of temperature, humidity, pressure, altitude, coordinates, types of clouds and cloud coverage.
We confirmed that the temperature is lower, and humidity is higher in green spaces compared to
technological areas and that there is indeed lower pressure at higher elevations. Our data could not verify whether the distance to water bodies impacts temperature and that the air is more humid near water bodies.
In conclusion the temperature is lower and humidity higher in green areas, which reflects the
importance of nature in urban environments. The information we collected can be used to promote enhancing technological areas with more vegetation.
Keywords: atmospheric measurements, Tartu, Estonia, vegetation, technological areas.