Publication
Title
Impact of the urban heat island on freeze-thaw risk of natural stone in the built environment, a case study in Ghent, Belgium
Author
Abstract
Freeze-thaw cycles are important in the weathering behaviour of natural building stones in humid, cold to temperate climates. It is expected that the elevated air temperatures in urban environments, the so-called urban heat island (UHI), will have an impact on freeze-thaw weathering. In this study, the impact of the urban heat island on the potential freeze-thaw risk is assessed by parameterization of climatic data of 1 year (07/2016-06/2017) from the MOCCA (Monitoring the City's Climate and Atmosphere) project, which studies the urban heat island in Ghent, Belgium. The dose-response of Savonnieres, a French limestone often used as building stone, is investigated in laboratory and by HAM simulations. Analysis of the MOCCA data demonstrates that the urban heat island phenomenon decreases the number and intensity of freeze-thaw cycles in an urban environment with 42% and 41% respectively for the studied year in Ghent. This decrease suggests a mitigation of frost risk in urban environments. Laboratory tests and computational simulations confirm that this leads indeed to a decreased freeze-thaw risk in urban landscapes compared to the surrounding rural environment. (C) 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Language
English
Source (journal)
The science of the total environment. - Amsterdam, 1972, currens
Publication
Amsterdam : 2019
ISSN
0048-9697 [print]
1879-1026 [online]
DOI
10.1016/J.SCITOTENV.2019.04.344
Volume/pages
677 (2019) , p. 9-18
ISI
000468191200002
Pubmed ID
31051386
Full text (Publisher's DOI)
UAntwerpen
Research group
Publication type
Subject
External links
Web of Science
Record
Identifier
Creation 06.03.2020
Last edited 05.12.2024
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