title: Positive effects of vegetation: urban heat island and green roofs.
abstract: This paper attempts to evaluate the positive effects of vegetation with a multi-scale approach: an urban and a building scale. Monitoring the urban heat island in four areas of New York City, we have found an average of 2 °C difference of temperatures between the most and the least vegetated areas, ascribable to the substitution of vegetation with man-made building materials. At micro-scale, we have assessed the effect of surface albedo on climate through the use of a climatological model. Then, using the CO(2) equivalents as indicators of the impact on climate, we have compared the surface albedo, and the construction, replacement and use phase of a black, a white and a green roof. By our analyses, we found that both the white and the green roofs are less impactive than the black one; with the thermal resistance, the biological activity of plants and the surface albedo playing a crucial role.
authors.affiliation: Polytechnic University of Bari, Via E. Orabona 4, 70125 Bari, Italy. tiziana.susca@gmail.com
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Susca
authors.forename: S R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Gaffin
authors.forename: G R
authors.initials: GR
authors.lastname: Dell'osso
mesh_terms: D000397:Air Pollution / Q000517:prevention & control; D002245:Carbon Dioxide / Q000032:analysis; D057965:Carbon Sequestration; D002947:Cities; D002980:Climate; D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D052918:Environmental Restoration and Remediation / Q000379:methods*; D005160:Facility Design and Construction / Q000379:methods*; D006358:Hot Temperature; D063245:Plant Development; D014876:Water Pollution / Q000517:prevention & control
chemical_list: D002245:Carbon Dioxide