Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: http://hdl.handle.net/10397/55460
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Title: Reduction of solar UV radiation due to urban high-rise buildings - a coupled modelling study
Authors: Wai, KM
Yu, PKN
Lam, KS 
Issue Date: 2015
Source: PLoS one, 2015, v. 10, no. 8, e135562
Abstract: Solar UV radiation has both adverse and beneficial effects to human health. Using models (a radiative transfer model coupled to a building shading model), together with satellite and surface measurements, we studied the un-obstructed and obstructed UV environments in a sub-tropical urban environment featured with relatively high pollution (aerosol) loadings and high-rise buildings. Seasonal patterns of the erythemal UV exposure rates were governed by solar zenith angles, seasonal variations of aerosol loadings and cloud effects. The radiative transfer modelling results agreed with measurements of erythemal UV exposure rates and spectral irradiances in UVA and UVB ranges. High-rise buildings and narrow road width (height to width, H/W, ratios up to 15) reduced the modelled total UV (UVA+UVB) radiation and leave 10% of the un-obstructed exposure rate at ground-level at noon. No more than 80% of the un-obstructed exposure rate was received in the open area surrounded by 20- storey buildings. Our modelled reduction of UVB radiation in the urban environment was consistent with similar measurements obtained for Australia. However, our results in more extreme environments (higher H/W ratios) were for the first time reported, with 18% of the un-obstructed exposure rate remained at the ground-level center of the street canyon.
Publisher: Public Library of Science
Journal: PLoS one 
EISSN: 1932-6203
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0135562
Rights: © 2015 Wai et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
The following publication: Wai K-M, Yu PKN, Lam K-S (2015) Reduction of Solar UV Radiation Due to Urban High-Rise Buildings – A Coupled Modelling Study. PLoS ONE 10(8): e0135562 is available at https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0135562
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