A microscale three-dimensional urban energy balance model for studying surface temperatures

A microscale three-dimensional (3-D) urban energy balance model, Temperatures of Urban Facets in 3-D (TUF-3D), is developed to predict urban surface temperatures for a variety of surface geometries and properties, weather conditions, and solar angles. The surface is composed of plane-parallel roofs, walls and streets that are subdivided into identical, square patches. The model code is structured into radiation, conduction and convection sub-models. The complete model is tested against full-scale urban surface temperature observations from Vancouver and Basel. Modelled surface temperatures perform well at both the facet-average and the sub-facet scales given the precision of the observations and the uncertainties in the model inputs. Potential applications of the model are discussed.