Reductions in Ground-Level Ozone Pollution Through Urban Heat Island Mitigation Strategies Including Rehabbing Land Occupied for Transportation Related Uses: A Case Study of Fresno, CA

The urban heat island effect is the phenomenon where developed areas tend to be warmer than their surrounding countryside. Excessively warm conditions can worsen ground-level ozone air pollution problems as ozone concentrations are dependent on levels of photochemical reactivity affected by temperature. Among the causes of heat islands are the thermal properties of materials used in urban areas, including those used for transportation, such as pavement. Heat island mitigation strategies, including cool pavement technologies and shading of pavement, among others, represent opportunities to tackle ground-level ozone pollution problems through temperature. Two mitigation scenarios for the Fresno, California region, an area heavily impacted by poor ozone conditions, indicate that heat island mitigation strategies can bring modest ozone benefits. Conservative estimates modeled using the Mitigation Impact Screening Tool shows that the two mitigation scenarios could reduce temperature by 0.8 degrees Fahrenheit to 5.7 degrees Fahrenheit and yield 3 to 12 percent reductions in the typical excess of ozone in Fresno over California state ambient air quality standards. Cool roofs provide relatively more benefit in the two scenarios, as does increase vegetation, including vegetation that shades land occupied for transportation uses. Cool pavements provide some benefit, with greater future benefit possible with further developments in technology.

• 
• Corporate Authors:

  Transportation Research Board

  500 Fifth Street, NW
  Washington, DC  United States  20001
• Authors:
  • Fang, Kevin
  • Cook, Jon
  • Smith, Jeremy
  • Williams, Keisha
• Conference:
  • Transportation Research Board 90th Annual Meeting
  • Location: Washington DC, United States
  • Date: 2011-1-23 to 2011-1-27
• Date: 2011

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: DVD
• Features: Figures; Photos; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 20p
• Monograph Title: TRB 90th Annual Meeting Compendium of Papers DVD

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Air pollution; Air quality management; Cooling; Heat islands; Ozone; Pavements
• Uncontrolled Terms: Shading
• Geographic Terms: Fresno (California)
• Subject Areas: Environment; I15: Environment;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01333201
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: 11-2304
• Files: PRP, TRIS, TRB
• Created Date: Mar 21 2011 2:13PM