Sensible heat input to the urban boundary layer: the role of canopy configuration and materials.

Vertical sensible heat inputs to the overlying urban boundary layer take place at the top of the canopy layer, either from roof surfaces or through the tops of urban canyons. These inputs are potentially very variable spatially and will depend on canyon or roof facet materials, orientation and geometry. These factors may interact in complex ways to control the flux and may act differently at different times of the day or year. This study presents the results of a numerical simulation study to explore spatial variability of sensible heat flux at the urban canopy top for specific sites and across representative urban landscapes.