Rigid pavements have an impact on the urban heat island (UHI) and hence the surrounding environment and human comfort. Currently, most studies use a mesoscale approach in UHI characterization of pavements. This study proposes a microscale approach that can be incorporated into a pavement life-cycle assessment (LCA). The heat flux of various concrete pavements containing layers of varying thermal diffusivity and inertia was simulated. The surface pavement radiative forcing (RFp) was developed as a metric for use in a pavement LCA. Additionally, the heat conducted and stored in each concrete pavement system was analyzed using an average seasonal day metric to understand the temporal pavement energetics. Of the various thermal cases, only a higher albedo surface significantly changed the RFp for a fixed climate. However, a time lag was induced by the thermal inertia of the base course, which decreased the amount of heat conducted out of the pavement at night by storing heat in the base course for a longer time, effectively reducing nighttime UHI. Diurnal variations in thermal behavior can be controlled by changing the thermal properties of subsurface layers, which can be used to partially mitigate UHI.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
WongE., and HogenK.. Reducing Urban Heat Islands: Compendium of Strategies. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2011.
2.
GowardS. N.Thermal Behavior of Urban Landscapes and the Urban Heat Island. Physical Geography, Vol. 2, No. 1, 1981, pp. 19–33.
3.
ShahmohamadiP., Che-AnilA. I., RamlyA., MauludK. N. A., and Mohd-NorM. F. I.. Reducing Urban Heat Island Effects: A Systematic Review to Achieve Energy Consumption Balance. International Journal of Physical Sciences, Vol. 5, No. 6, 2010, pp. 626–636.
4.
TahaH.Urban Climates and Heat Islands: Albedo, Evapotranspiration, and Anthropogenic Heat. Energy and Building, Vol. 25, No. 2, 1997, pp. 99–103. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0378-7788(96)00999-1.
5.
SanteroN. J., MasanetE., and HorvathA.. Life-Cycle Assessment of Pavement. Part II: Filling the Research Gaps. Resources, Conservation, and Recycling, Vol. 55, No. 9–10, 2011, pp. 810–818. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2011.03.009.
6.
MenonS., AkbariH., MahanamaS., SednevI., and LevinsonR.. Radiative Forcing and Temperature Response to Changes in Urban Albedos and Associated CO2 Offsets. Environmental Research Letters, Vol. 5, No. 1, 2010. https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/5/1/014005.
7.
YuB., and LuQ.. Estimation of Albedo Effect in Pavement Life Cycle Assessment. Journal of Cleaner Production, Vol. 64, 2014, pp. 306–309. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2013.07.034.
8.
JeanjeanA., OlivesR., and PyX.. Selection Criteria of Thermal Mass Materials for Low-Energy Building Construction Applied to Conventional and Alternative Materials. Energy and Buildings, No. 63, 2013, pp. 36–48.
9.
DehdeziP. K., HallM. R., and DawsonA.. Thermophysical Optimization of Specialized Concrete Pavement Materials for Collection of Surface Heat Energy and Applications for Shallow Heat Storage. Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, No. 2240, 2011, pp. 96–106. https://dx.doi.org/10.3141/2240-13.
10.
SwaidH., and HoffmanM. E.. The Prediction of Impervious Ground Surface Temperature by the Surface Thermal Time Constant (STTC) Model. Energy and Building, Vol. 13, No. 2, 1989, pp. 149–157. https://doi.org/10.1016/0378-7788(89)90006-6.
11.
GoldenJ. S., and KaloushK. E.. Mesoscale and Microscale Evaluation of Surface Pavement Impacts on the Urban Heat Island Effects. International Journal of Pavement Engineering, Vol. 7, No. 1, 2006, pp. 37–52. https://doi.org/10.1080/10298430500505325.
12.
PhilipJ. R., and de VriesD. A.. Moisture Movement in Porous Materials Under Temperature Gradients. Eos, Vol. 38, No. 2, 1957, pp. 222–232.
13.
DawsonA. R., DehdeziP. K., HallM. R., WangJ., and IsolaR.. Enhancing Thermal Properties of Asphalt Materials for Heat Storage and Transfer Applications. Road Materials and Pavement Design, Vol. 13, No. 4, 2012, pp. 784–803. https://doi.org/10.1080/14680629.2012.735791.
14.
GuiJ., CarlsonJ., PhelanP. E., KaloushK., and GoldenJ. S.. Impact of Pavement Thickness on Surface Diurnal Temperatures. Journal of Green Building, Vol. 2, No. 2, 2002, pp. 121–130. https://doi.org/10.3992/jgb.2.2.121.
15.
LarsonG., and DempseyB. J.. Enhanced Integrated Climatic Model, Version 2.0. Final Report, DTFA MN/DOT 72114. Minnesota Department of Transportation, Saint Paul, 1997.
16.
ZapataC. E., AndreiD., WitczakM. W., and HoustonW. N.. Incorporation of Environmental Effects in Pavement Design. Road Materials and Pavement Design, Vol. 8, No. 4, 2007, pp. 667–693. https://doi.org/10.1080/14680629.2007.9690094.
DempseyB. J., and ThompsonM. R.. A Heat Transfer Model for Evaluating Frost Action and Temperature-Related Effects in Multilayered Pavement Systems. Highway Research Record, No. 342, 1970, pp. 39–56.
19.
SenS., and RoeslerJ.. Assessment of Concrete Pavement Structure on Urban Heat Island. Papers from the International Symposium on Pavement Life Cycle Assessment 2014, Davis, Calif., 2014, pp. 191–200.
20.
ARA, Inc., ERES Consultants Division. Guide for Mechanistic–Empirical Pavement Design of New and Rehabilitated Pavement Structures. Final report, NCHRP Project 1-37A. Transportation Research Board of the National Academies, Washington, D.C., 2004. http://www.trb.org/mepdg/guide.htm.
21.
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Climate Change 2001: The Scientific Basis. Cambridge University Press, New York, 2001.
22.
AkbariH., MenonS., and RosenfeldA.. Global Cooling: Increasing World-Wide Urban Albedos to Offset CO2. Climatic Change, Vol. 94, No. 3–4, 2009, pp. 275–286. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10584-008-9515-9.
23.
SuscaT.Enhancement of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) Methodology to Include the Effect of Surface Albedo on Climate Change: Comparing Black and White Roofs. Environmental Pollution, Vol. 163, 2009, pp. 48–54. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2011.12.019.
24.
BirdD. N., KundaM., MayerA., SchlamadingerB., CanellaL., and JohnstonM.. Incorporating Changes in Albedo in Estimating the Climate Mitigation Benefits of Land Use Change Projects. Biogeosciences Discussions, Vol. 5, No. 2, 2008, pp. 1511–1543. https://doi.org/10.5194/bgd-5-1511-2008.
25.
JoosF., PrenticeI. C., SitchS., MeyerR., HoossG., PlattnerG.-K., GerberS., and HasselmannK.. Global Warming Feedbacks on Terrestrial Carbon Uptake Under the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Emission Scenarios. Global Biogeochemical Cycles, Vol. 15, No. 4, 2001, pp. 891–907. https://doi.org/10.1029/2000GB001375.
26.
SantamourisM., SynnefaA., and KarlessiT.. Using Advanced Cool Materials in the Urban Built Environment to Mitigate Heat Islands and Improve Thermal Comfort Conditions. Solar Energy, Vol. 85, No. 12, 2011, pp. 3085–3102. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.solener.2010.12.023.
