SOLWEIG modelling questions - adding shade structure, custom land cover classes?

[cinnabon1313]

Hello,

I am modelling a proposed park that is set to be built soon and I am using SOLWEIG to model the mean radiant temperature for it.

That being said, I had a couple of questions and was wondering if anyone here or even the devs can help me on:

1) Shade structures (i.e., lattice/partial shade like standing structures made of steel but painted blue) are being built in the park. Is there a way for SOLWEIG to capture this?

It's not a building per say because it has partial light coming through it at the top (lattice structure) and its open on all 4 sides, so I am not sure how to best incorporate it into SOLWEIG (which I am hoping to do so).

2) In the text file "landcoverclasses_v2016a.txt." for the SOLWEIG land cover I see a class called "Cobble_stone_2014a" where the land cover ID = 0. What is this and is it ok if I use it to model the stones/stone paths in my park?

3) Does anyone have any information on where I can start looking to obtain some values to alter the land cover text file for certain materials (i.e., wood, concrete, etc...) without doing field work (i.e., best literature or journals you have used for certain land cover classes)?

Thank you, any help would be much appreciated!

[biglimp]

Hi, Sounds like an interesting project.

1. Since SOLWEIG is a 2.5D model one cannot add full 3D structures apart from vegetation features such as trees. To add your shade structures, you have to make them into either buildings or vegetation.
2. Yes. That ground cover class comes from the first paper (Lindberg et al. 2008) and are obseravations taken from a square in Göteborg.
3. I know there are people in NetCarbon company in France that are looking into this at the moment, you can try contact them.

[cinnabon1313]

Hello, thanks so much for the speedy reply and your help! I really appreciate it!

In regards to your answers, I just have a couple follow-up questions I am hoping you can help me with:

1. In this case, do you think I can just model the structure in the ground + building DSM but not label it as a building? or would it automatically assume it's a building because of the height?

2. Based on what my description of the shading structure is (i.e., lattice top (so some partial light coming through), standing structures made of steel, but painted blue) would you say it's safer to categorize it as a building or canopy?

3. If I use the cobble stone class, do you think I can use 0 as the ID for my land cover raster? or would there be issues (coding wise) whereby I would have to change the ID to something else like 8?

4. Would you happen to have their contact information or is contacting them through this website (https://en.netcarbon.fr/) good enough?

Thanks again!

[biglimp]

1. It would automatically be labeled building
2. Sound like canopy is better then you can use the transmissivity to let sunlight pass through is you like
3. I think you can use 0
4. Think it was something line Guitaun Pique or something similar. Head of research.

[cinnabon1313]

Thank you so much! I emailed Gaétan Pique and appreciate the referral!

I am trying to create custom land cover classes for mulch, wood, and concrete in SOLWEIG. In case Gaétan doesn't get back to me, what do you think is best for the temperature parameters (Ts_deg, Tstart, TmaxLST)?

A) Adjust albedo and emissivity based on literature, but keep the temperature parameters the same as the closest default UMEP class (e.g., bare soil, grass, paved)?

OR

B) Adjust albedo and emissivity based on literature, and estimate the temperature parameters by scaling relative to default UMEP class values?

Thanks again for all your help!

[biglimp]

I would go for B and set parameters for temperature based on common reasoning. The important parameter is Ts_deg where a material that does not heat up that much should have a lower value and vise versa.