Urban meteorological networks in Europe: A review

Urban meteorological networks in Europe: A review

Assessment of climate in urban environments strongly relies on the quality and resolution of meteorological data. Intensive urbanization processes in urban environments affect and modify local climates so the traditional weather stations located on the outskirts of the urban areas can hardly be considered in the analysis of local climate. Technological progress led to major improvements in sensor development, which increases the number and density of urban meteorological networks. This article presents a review of urban meteorological networks in Europe, including an assessment of their spatial distribution and density, type and density of the sensors, data resolution, and main barriers and challenges in their development and maintenance. The analysis includes urban meteorological networks whose characteristics or data are reported in scientific journals referred in the Web of Science database. Also, the networks reported during the data collection of urban and rural networks from partners participating in the COST Action project entitled FAIRNESS “FAIR NEtwork of micrometeorological measurements” (CA20108) are included in this review. This COST Action aims to develop synergy between stakeholders, researchers, and civil society to promote open data and enhance data visibility and usage. In conclusion, recommendations for future urban meteorological networks development emerged from identified gaps and challenges in measurement logistics, methods, and data assimilation of the existing networks, along with the discussion regarding the possibility of establishing an open data platform for long-term data availability.

Acknowledgment: This research is supported by the COST Action project entitled “FAIR NEtwork of micrometeorological measurements”, no. CA20108.