Improving a pavement-watering method on the basis of pavement surface temperature measurements

TL;DR

This study explores using infrared camera measurements of pavement surface temperatures to optimize pavement-watering, aiming to reduce water use while maintaining cooling effectiveness in urban environments.

Contribution

The paper demonstrates that infrared surface temperature measurements can effectively replace invasive sensors for optimizing pavement-watering schedules.

Findings

Infrared cameras detect temperature spikes indicating surface drying.

Surface temperature reductions of up to 13°C during insolation.

Optimized watering based on temperature data can reduce water consumption.

Abstract

Pavement-watering has been studied since the 1990's and is currently considered a promising tool for urban heat island reduction and climate change adaptation. However, possible future water resource availability problems require that water consumption be optimized. Although pavement heat flux can be studied to improve pavement-watering methods (frequency and water consumption), these measurements are costly and require invasive construction work to install appropriate sensors in a dense urban environment. Therefore, we analyzed infrared camera measurements of pavement surface temperatures in search of alternative information relevant to this goal. Firstly, surface temperature reductions of up to 4{\textdegree}C during shading and 13{\textdegree}C during insolation were found. Secondly, the infrared camera successfully detected temperature spikes indicative of surface drying and can therefore be used to optimize the watering frequency. Measurements made every 5 min or less are recommended to minimize relevant data loss. Finally, if the water retaining capacity of the studied pavement is known, optimization of total water consumption is possible on the sole basis of surface temperature measurements.