Diurnal and Weekly Variation of Anthropogenic Heat Emissions in Singapore

Abstract

The anthropogenic heat flux density can potentially be a significant contributor to the urban (surface) energy balance. In this study, the anthropogenic heat flux density is estimated by considering separately the three major sources of waste heat in urban environments, namely, heat release from vehicular traffic, buildings and human metabolism. These components of the anthropogenic heat flux density are calculated by applying a combination of the top-down and bottom-up modelling approaches of energy consumption within the context of Singapore. Using this method, the diurnal and weekly variability of the anthropogenic heat flux density are determined for three typical land use types found in Singapore, namely, (i) commercial, (ii) high-density public housing and (iii) low-density private housing. Over a 24-hour period, magnitudes of the mean hourly anthropogenic heat flux density are estimated to reach maximum values of 113 W/m²; in the commercial, 18 W/m² in the high-density public housing and 13 W/m² in the low-density private housing areas, respectively. Buildings are found to be the major source of anthropogenic heat in each study area, contributing to between 49¿83% (weekdays) and 46¿82% (weekends) of the anthropogenic heat flux density, respectively.