We investigated the distribution of air temperature (Ta) and the factors affecting it in low-rise areas surrounding an isolated high-rise building during the Japanese winter. The study site was the central part of a regional city in Japan (36°5′ N, 140°12′ E), lying north-east of the Tokyo metropolitan area. The daytime surface temperature (Ts) in the shade is generally considered to be comparable to Ta; however, according to airborne remote sensing conducted in December 2009 where a multi-spectral scanner was installed on a fixed-wing aircraft, Ts for pavements in the shade of a high-rise building was significantly lower than Ta of sub-urban areas, indicating an influence of cold storage on Ts. Then, we conducted mobile observations using instruments (thermocouple, four component radiometer, and so on) installed on a bicycle in January 2016 to investigate the detailed distribution of Ta and the factors affecting it. The results showed the Ta over the pavements in the shade of the high-rise building was lower than the Ta of sunlit areas in the same urban area by −2 °C and lower than the Ta of sub-urban areas by −1–1.5 °C, although the advection effect was large due to strong winds around the building. In conclusion, a locally lower Ta compared to the surrounding areas can develop during the day in winter, even in spaces that are open to areas beyond the canopy.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.