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Dr. Sandra Rafael
CESAM – Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies, University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal

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Research Keywords & Expertise

0 Climate Change
0 Air quality modelling
0 Circular Economy and Sustainable Development
0 Mobility and transportation
0 Nature based solutions for urban environment

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Climate Change
Air quality modelling
Circular Economy and Sustainable Development
Nature based solutions for urban environment

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Short Biography

Sandra Isabel Moreira Rafael has a PhD in Environmental Sciences and Engineering (2017), by the University of Aveiro. Since 2012, she is researcher at the GEMAC - Group of Emissions, Modelling and Climate Change of the Department of Environment and Planning of the University of Aveiro. She is currently fully integrated member of CESAM - Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies. Since 2017, she is coordinator of one of the four thematic research lines of GEMAC, Circular Economy and Air Pollution, being responsible to elaborate research projects in this field, as well as to identify collaborations with other research groups, enterprise/companies or public sector. Her research interests includes: air quality modelling at different spatial scales; nature based solutions, as adaptation measures to deal with climate change impacts and as a tool to improve air quality; interface areas such as, urban mobility, citizens health, wind and thermal comfort. At research level, she was involved in several national and international research project, namely in 5 national project, 1 SIAC project, 1 EEA Grant, 1 international project and 1 action COST. Currently, she participates in 3 national projects, 1 LIFE+ project and 3 international projects. Her knowledge and expertise in air quality modelling tools (including emissions inventories, meteorological and air quality models) are highlighted by her dissemination activities.

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Article
Published: 06 August 2021 in Air Quality, Atmosphere & Health
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A current challenge in the environmental sciences field is to assess air quality at larger urban areas with high level of spatial resolution and, at the same time, with feasible computational resources time demand. This study provides a sensitivity analysis, focused on the implications of different grid resolutions on air quality results, followed by a performance assessment of the URBan AIR (URBAIR) model, a second-generation Gaussian model, as a tool for air quality management in urban areas. Estarreja area, a city located near an industrial complex, was used as case study, and the most critical air pollutants were investigated: particulate matter (PM10) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2). Three different grid resolutions were tested: 0.1 km, 0.2 km and 0.3 km resolutions. Comparative results revealed that all grids provide similar results regarding the spatial distribution of PM10 and NO2 concentrations, with evident differences in the magnitude of those concentrations and in the required computational time. The source apportionment analysis revealed the great contribution of industrial sources and road transport to NO2 and PM10 concentrations, respectively. The URBAIR model is a useful tool to support decision-makers since it considers the specific characteristics of each city, which make it particularly helpful to assess different origins of air pollution, and so, to select the most effective sectorial measures that should be applied to improve local air quality.

ACS Style

A. P. Fernandes; S. Rafael; D. Lopes; S. Coelho; C. Borrego; M. Lopes. The air pollution modelling system URBAIR: how to use a Gaussian model to accomplish high spatial and temporal resolutions. Air Quality, Atmosphere & Health 2021, 1 -20.

AMA Style

A. P. Fernandes, S. Rafael, D. Lopes, S. Coelho, C. Borrego, M. Lopes. The air pollution modelling system URBAIR: how to use a Gaussian model to accomplish high spatial and temporal resolutions. Air Quality, Atmosphere & Health. 2021; ():1-20.

Chicago/Turabian Style

A. P. Fernandes; S. Rafael; D. Lopes; S. Coelho; C. Borrego; M. Lopes. 2021. "The air pollution modelling system URBAIR: how to use a Gaussian model to accomplish high spatial and temporal resolutions." Air Quality, Atmosphere & Health , no. : 1-20.

Journal article
Published: 30 July 2021 in Science of The Total Environment
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Green roofs, as part of urban green structures, have been pointed out as the solution to pursuit the goal of healthy cities. This study aims to investigate the direct, focused on meteorological changes, and indirect, related to both meteorological and emissions changes, impacts of green roofs on air quality (PM10, NO2 and O3). For that, the numerical modelling system composed by the WRF-SLUCM-CHIMERE models was applied to a 1-year period (2017), having as case study the Porto urban area. The EnergyPlus model was also applied to estimate the green roofs impacts on the building's energy needs and related impacts on air quality and atmospheric emissions. The analysis of the direct impacts showed that green roofs promote a temperature increase during the autumn and winter seasons and a temperature decrease during the spring and summer seasons. Both negative - concentrations increase - and positive - concentrations decrease - impacts were obtained for the primary, PM10 and NO2, and secondary, O3, air pollutants, respectively, due to changes in the dynamical structure of the urban boundary layer. The indirect effects of green roofs showed their potential to enhance the buildings energy efficiency, reducing the cooling and heating needs. These changes in energy consumption promoted an overall decrease of the environmental and economic indicators. Regarding air quality, the impact was negligible. The obtained results highlight the need for a multipurpose evaluation of the impacts of green roofs, with the different effects having to be traded off against each other to better support the decision-making process.

ACS Style

S. Rafael; L.P. Correia; A. Ascenso; B. Augusto; D. Lopes; A.I. Miranda. Are green roofs the path to clean air and low carbon cities? Science of The Total Environment 2021, 798, 149313 .

AMA Style

S. Rafael, L.P. Correia, A. Ascenso, B. Augusto, D. Lopes, A.I. Miranda. Are green roofs the path to clean air and low carbon cities? Science of The Total Environment. 2021; 798 ():149313.

Chicago/Turabian Style

S. Rafael; L.P. Correia; A. Ascenso; B. Augusto; D. Lopes; A.I. Miranda. 2021. "Are green roofs the path to clean air and low carbon cities?" Science of The Total Environment 798, no. : 149313.

Journal article
Published: 26 February 2021 in Atmosphere
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Atmospheric emissions related to harbor-related activities can significantly contribute to air pollution of coastal urban areas and so, could have implications to the citizens’ health that live in those areas. Of great concern is the local impact of the emissions that are generated while ships are at berth, since not all types of ships switch off the main engines. This paper intends to investigate the influence of the stack configuration for generic cargo ships on the exhaust smoke dispersion, using the Port of Leixões as a case study and a series of wind tunnel experiments with support of Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) technique. For that, different configurations of the stack of a cargo ship (in terms of height, geometry and diameter) were simulated under the typical wind conditions of the study area. The PIV results indicate negligible differences between the medium and long stack height, with the short stack height presenting a strong impact on the flow field around the stack. For the short stack height, the flow field is not only disturbed by the stack, but also by the cargo ship bridge, with both obstacles promoting disturbances on the flow field and creating a large wake turbulence effect, which is important for the downwash phenomena. Regarding the effects linked with two distinct geometries (straight or curved), the results show that the straight chimney led to higher perturbation of wind field when compared with the curved geometry. The curved stack presents an increase of vorticity, indicating the generation of more turbulent structures. The PIV results also confirmed that higher wind velocity at the inlet conducts to higher vorticity levels, as well as a higher number of Kelvin–Helmholtz structures. For distinct wind conditions the PIV measurements point out different patterns, indicating the northern wind direction as the most favorable condition for the exposure of dock workers to pollutants. Overall, the results showed that a ship stack with a curved end, medium length and smaller diameter has the capability to promote the behaviors in the flow that are coherent with increased pollutant dispersion.

ACS Style

Luís Correia; Sandra Rafael; Sandra Sorte; Vera Rodrigues; Carlos Borrego; Alexandra Monteiro. High-Resolution Analysis of Wind Flow Behavior on Ship Stacks Configuration: A Portuguese Case Study. Atmosphere 2021, 12, 303 .

AMA Style

Luís Correia, Sandra Rafael, Sandra Sorte, Vera Rodrigues, Carlos Borrego, Alexandra Monteiro. High-Resolution Analysis of Wind Flow Behavior on Ship Stacks Configuration: A Portuguese Case Study. Atmosphere. 2021; 12 (3):303.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Luís Correia; Sandra Rafael; Sandra Sorte; Vera Rodrigues; Carlos Borrego; Alexandra Monteiro. 2021. "High-Resolution Analysis of Wind Flow Behavior on Ship Stacks Configuration: A Portuguese Case Study." Atmosphere 12, no. 3: 303.

Journal article
Published: 01 July 2020 in Urban Climate
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Urban areas, home to over half of the world's population, are at the forefront of climate change impacts and adaptation issues. Planning sustainable cities for the future requires not only a clear understanding of how climate change will influence urban areas but also how urban areas influence the local climate. This paper validates the Surface Urban Energy and Water Balance Scheme (SUEWS) model at an urban and a suburban site in Portugal, through five months of simulations, with forcing data from the Weather Research and Forecasting Model (WRF). SUEWS is tested against direct flux measurements carried out at the two study areas. The surface energy fluxes are also analysed in terms of the land cover characteristics of each study area, to understand the influence of the surface on the energy balance. At both sites SUEWS is able to simulate the turbulent sensible and latent heat fluxes and reproduces the diurnal cycle of the turbulent fluxes, but shows a consistent overestimation of the sensible heat flux. In terms of the latent heat flux, underestimation at the urban site and overestimation at the suburban site are evident. These results enable the use of WRF-SUEWS for emerging applications, such as, assessment of urban planning measures or assessment of urban climate under climate change scenarios.

ACS Style

S. Rafael; H. Martins; M.J. Matos; M. Cerqueira; C. Pio; M. Lopes; C. Borrego. Application of SUEWS model forced with WRF: Energy fluxes validation in urban and suburban Portuguese areas. Urban Climate 2020, 33, 100662 .

AMA Style

S. Rafael, H. Martins, M.J. Matos, M. Cerqueira, C. Pio, M. Lopes, C. Borrego. Application of SUEWS model forced with WRF: Energy fluxes validation in urban and suburban Portuguese areas. Urban Climate. 2020; 33 ():100662.

Chicago/Turabian Style

S. Rafael; H. Martins; M.J. Matos; M. Cerqueira; C. Pio; M. Lopes; C. Borrego. 2020. "Application of SUEWS model forced with WRF: Energy fluxes validation in urban and suburban Portuguese areas." Urban Climate 33, no. : 100662.

Article
Published: 12 June 2020 in Environmental Management
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Climate change is increasingly exerting pressure with intensified impacts in the short-, medium-, and long-term. Cities are highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, and it is recognized that they play a significant role in the European Strategy on adaptation to climate change. This study intends to develop a climate adaptation framework to identify effective measures that will be evaluated using a multi-urban area located in the north of Portugal, as a case study. The climate adaptation framework was developed following the Urban Adaptation Support Tool (AST), adapted to the Portuguese reality. The Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model was used to provide future projections with a high level of spatial resolution over the study area, increasing the accuracy of the identification of future climatic vulnerabilities. The results show a tendency for an increase of extreme weather events associated with the increase of both temperature and annual accumulated precipitation variables. A set of both urban and rural measures to promote a sustainable development path to climate adaptability and increase cities resilience to climate change are presented and discussed.

ACS Style

Si­lvia Coelho; Sandra Rafael; Miguel Coutinho; Alexandra Monteiro; João Medina; Susana Figueiredo; Sofia Cunha; Myriam Lopes; Ana Isabel Miranda; Carlos Borrego. Climate-Change Adaptation Framework for Multiple Urban Areas in Northern Portugal. Environmental Management 2020, 66, 395 -406.

AMA Style

Si­lvia Coelho, Sandra Rafael, Miguel Coutinho, Alexandra Monteiro, João Medina, Susana Figueiredo, Sofia Cunha, Myriam Lopes, Ana Isabel Miranda, Carlos Borrego. Climate-Change Adaptation Framework for Multiple Urban Areas in Northern Portugal. Environmental Management. 2020; 66 (3):395-406.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Si­lvia Coelho; Sandra Rafael; Miguel Coutinho; Alexandra Monteiro; João Medina; Susana Figueiredo; Sofia Cunha; Myriam Lopes; Ana Isabel Miranda; Carlos Borrego. 2020. "Climate-Change Adaptation Framework for Multiple Urban Areas in Northern Portugal." Environmental Management 66, no. 3: 395-406.

Journal article
Published: 02 April 2020 in Climate
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The current linear economic system has led Europe to unsustainable development, aggravating several issues, such as climate change, limitation of resources, and pollution. As a sustainable alternative, circular economy (CE) has been promoted around the world. This economic system allows for the maximization of a product’s life, thus decreasing its environmental impact and increasing its value. The main goal of this work is to scrutinise the concepts of CE over time, from the beginning of the concept, to its implementation in Europe and its application in Portugal. In addition, the requirement for strategies that led to studies on regional urban metabolism are addressed. Another goal is to examine Portugal and see how the country is dealing with the implementation of strategies for CE, moving from concept to practice. This part of the work resulted in the creation of the REMET-UA model, a tool to assess the regional economic metabolism, which also has the potential to evaluate synergies of materials in terms of fluxes between regions, maximizing the amount of information available at this scale for municipalities and enterprises to be used, having taken into account the purpose of circular economy. The results showed that REMET-UA is fully operational and corresponds to the goal for which the model was made. Future developments have been identified and are underway to improve the model and bring it as close to reality as possible.

ACS Style

Afonso Silva; Bruno Augusto; Sandra Rafael; Johnny Reis; Myriam Lopes; Sérgio Costa; Carlos Borrego. Modelling of Regional Economic Metabolism. Climate 2020, 8, 52 .

AMA Style

Afonso Silva, Bruno Augusto, Sandra Rafael, Johnny Reis, Myriam Lopes, Sérgio Costa, Carlos Borrego. Modelling of Regional Economic Metabolism. Climate. 2020; 8 (4):52.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Afonso Silva; Bruno Augusto; Sandra Rafael; Johnny Reis; Myriam Lopes; Sérgio Costa; Carlos Borrego. 2020. "Modelling of Regional Economic Metabolism." Climate 8, no. 4: 52.

Conference info
Published: 01 February 2020 in Energy Reports
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A linear economic model has proven to lead society into an unsustainable situation. Current policies have been promoting the transition for a circular economy across Europe. Portugal’s Action Plan for Circular Economy foresees the development of regional agendas, which include the characterization of regional economic metabolism. Taking resources inputs, extractions and imports into account, as well as the generated outputs, such as exports and emissions to the environment are a fundamental need for an efficient resources management. Indicators associated with regional economic metabolism allow the identification of inefficient use of natural resources and energy, and opportunities for circularity, which can promote new business models and investments. In this context and to fulfill the current need of evaluating the regional economic metabolism, this work describes the development of the REMET-UA (REgional METabolism) model. This model was developed to take into account the specificities of Portuguese regions, allowing an analysis with a high-resolution level.

ACS Style

Afonso Silva; Bruno Augusto; Sandra Rafael; Johnny Daniel Reis; Myriam Lopes; Sérgio Costa; Carlos Borrego. Analysis of regional economic metabolism through modeling. Energy Reports 2020, 6, 102 -107.

AMA Style

Afonso Silva, Bruno Augusto, Sandra Rafael, Johnny Daniel Reis, Myriam Lopes, Sérgio Costa, Carlos Borrego. Analysis of regional economic metabolism through modeling. Energy Reports. 2020; 6 ():102-107.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Afonso Silva; Bruno Augusto; Sandra Rafael; Johnny Daniel Reis; Myriam Lopes; Sérgio Costa; Carlos Borrego. 2020. "Analysis of regional economic metabolism through modeling." Energy Reports 6, no. : 102-107.

Journal article
Published: 08 January 2020 in Science of The Total Environment
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The impacts of autonomous vehicles (AV) on safety, energy and atmospheric emissions have been recognised to be important issues, but an air quality impact assessment is missing. In this study, by using a numerical modelling approach, the impact of AV on the air quality of a medium-sized Portuguese urban area was evaluated. For that, the air pollutants nitrogen oxides (NOx) and carbon dioxide (CO2) were considered and three scenarios were developed: i) a baseline scenario; ii) an autonomous scenario, assuming an AV market penetration rate of 30%; and iii) an electric autonomous scenario, taking into account that those 30% of AV are pure battery electric cars. A modelling system composed by a road traffic model, a road transport emission model and a Computational Fluid Dynamics air quality model was used. The autonomous scenario promoted an increase of both NOx (+1.8%) and CO2 (+0.7%) emissions, while the electric autonomous scenario resulted in emission reductions of about 30% for both air pollutants. In terms of air quality, distinct patterns were found: i) the autonomous scenario promoted both increases and decreases of NOx concentrations; and ii) the electric autonomous scenario promoted a widespread reduction of NOx concentrations (with an average value of −4%). Overall the results showed that AV have the potential to improve urban air quality, but, further research is needed to enrich the findings of this work.

ACS Style

Sandra Rafael; Luís Correia; Diogo Lopes; Jorge Bandeira; Margarida Coelho; Mário Andrade; Carlos Borrego; Ana Miranda. Autonomous vehicles opportunities for cities air quality. Science of The Total Environment 2020, 712, 136546 .

AMA Style

Sandra Rafael, Luís Correia, Diogo Lopes, Jorge Bandeira, Margarida Coelho, Mário Andrade, Carlos Borrego, Ana Miranda. Autonomous vehicles opportunities for cities air quality. Science of The Total Environment. 2020; 712 ():136546.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Sandra Rafael; Luís Correia; Diogo Lopes; Jorge Bandeira; Margarida Coelho; Mário Andrade; Carlos Borrego; Ana Miranda. 2020. "Autonomous vehicles opportunities for cities air quality." Science of The Total Environment 712, no. : 136546.

Conference paper
Published: 10 December 2019 in The Sustainable City XIII
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Welcome to the WIT Press eLibrary - the home of the Transactions of the Wessex Institute collection, providing on-line access to papers presented at the Institute's prestigious international conferences and from its State-of-the-Art in Science & Engineering publications.

ACS Style

Ana Patrícia Fernandes; Sandra Rafael; Luis Pita Correia; Carlos Faria; Teresa Nunes; Carlos Borrego; Myriam Lopes; Ana Miranda. COMPLEMENTARY APPROACHES TO ASSESS INDOOR AIR QUALITY IN URBAN ENVIRONMENTS. The Sustainable City XIII 2019, 1 .

AMA Style

Ana Patrícia Fernandes, Sandra Rafael, Luis Pita Correia, Carlos Faria, Teresa Nunes, Carlos Borrego, Myriam Lopes, Ana Miranda. COMPLEMENTARY APPROACHES TO ASSESS INDOOR AIR QUALITY IN URBAN ENVIRONMENTS. The Sustainable City XIII. 2019; ():1.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Ana Patrícia Fernandes; Sandra Rafael; Luis Pita Correia; Carlos Faria; Teresa Nunes; Carlos Borrego; Myriam Lopes; Ana Miranda. 2019. "COMPLEMENTARY APPROACHES TO ASSESS INDOOR AIR QUALITY IN URBAN ENVIRONMENTS." The Sustainable City XIII , no. : 1.

Journal article
Published: 06 December 2019 in Atmospheric Environment
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Fluxes of CO2, H2O and energy were measured continuously during a four-year period by eddy covariance, simultaneously at an urban and a suburban sites in the western coast of Portugal. The parallel measurements permitted to distinguish anthropogenic from natural CO2 emission/deposition. Natural CO2 fluxes were important in the suburban location. Anthropogenic emission of CO2 dominated the urban fluxes, being the double in winter by comparison with summer periods. A weekly and daily pattern was observed for CO2 fluxes in the urban area, with lower emission rates during weekends and daily flux peaks coincident with traffic rush hours. At the suburban site, daily and seasonal variability was consistent with the vegetation photosynthesis activity and growth cycles. Measured fluxes compared very favourably with inventory calculations indicating that traffic and home heating are the main causes of CO2 anthropogenic emissions. Individual CO2 fluxes measured in Portugal are at the lower side of the urban anthropogenic individual fluxes published worldwide, possibly as result of the mild local climate and low family income that hinders residential heating during cold spells. Although it rained 20% more at the urban area, by comparison with the suburban location, fluxes of water vapour were, on average, 20% higher at the suburban site, probably as result of the more porous character of the ground coverage. This affected the way energy fluxes are distributed between sensible and latent heat at each site, with higher Bowen ratios at the urban area. No heat island effect could be detected, on a seasonal basis, at the urban site, probably because of higher turbulence in the urban area caused by coastal winds and higher surface roughness.

ACS Style

Vanda Salgueiro; Mário Cerqueira; Alexandra Monteiro; Célia Alves; Sandra Rafael; Carlos Borrego; Casimiro Pio. Annual and seasonal variability of greenhouse gases fluxes over coastal urban and suburban areas in Portugal: Measurements and source partitioning. Atmospheric Environment 2019, 223, 117204 .

AMA Style

Vanda Salgueiro, Mário Cerqueira, Alexandra Monteiro, Célia Alves, Sandra Rafael, Carlos Borrego, Casimiro Pio. Annual and seasonal variability of greenhouse gases fluxes over coastal urban and suburban areas in Portugal: Measurements and source partitioning. Atmospheric Environment. 2019; 223 ():117204.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Vanda Salgueiro; Mário Cerqueira; Alexandra Monteiro; Célia Alves; Sandra Rafael; Carlos Borrego; Casimiro Pio. 2019. "Annual and seasonal variability of greenhouse gases fluxes over coastal urban and suburban areas in Portugal: Measurements and source partitioning." Atmospheric Environment 223, no. : 117204.

Journal article
Published: 08 November 2019 in Atmospheric Environment
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The effect of different “green” measures, such as the increase of urban green areas, the application of green roofs and the increase of surfaces albedo on urban air quality were evaluated with the WRF-CHIMERE modelling system. In order to account for the heterogeneity of urban areas, a single layer urban canopy model was coupled to the WRF model. The case study consists of a heat wave occurring in the Porto (Portugal) urban area in a future climate scenario, considering the Representative Concentration Pathway RCP8.5. The influence of the selected measures on PM10, NO2 and O3 concentrations was quantified and compared with a control run (without measures) simulation scenario. The results revealed that all the measures are able to mitigate the effects of heat waves by reducing the air temperature between −0.5 °C and −1 °C (maximum differences for the mean of the episode). Positive and negative effects were found in terms of air quality. The implementation of green roofs and the increase of surfaces albedo promoted an overall increase of PM10 (between +0.6% and +1.5%) and NO2 (between +0.8% and 3.5%) concentrations, which are closely related to a decrease of vertical mixing in the urban boundary layer. The increase of green urban areas promoted an overall decrease (on average) of both PM10 and NO2, by around −1% and −3%, respectively. The O3 levels increased with the increase of urban green areas, mostly located over the Porto urban area. Slight differences were promoted by the implementation of green roofs. For the increase of surfaces albedo, both increases and decreases of O3 concentrations were observed. The obtained results contribute to the knowledge of the chemical composition of the urban atmosphere and can be of great importance for stakeholders and decision-makers to deal with climate change impacts.

ACS Style

S. Rafael; B. Augusto; A. Ascenso; C. Borrego; A.I. Miranda. Re-Naturing Cities: Evaluating the effects on future air quality in the city of Porto. Atmospheric Environment 2019, 222, 117123 .

AMA Style

S. Rafael, B. Augusto, A. Ascenso, C. Borrego, A.I. Miranda. Re-Naturing Cities: Evaluating the effects on future air quality in the city of Porto. Atmospheric Environment. 2019; 222 ():117123.

Chicago/Turabian Style

S. Rafael; B. Augusto; A. Ascenso; C. Borrego; A.I. Miranda. 2019. "Re-Naturing Cities: Evaluating the effects on future air quality in the city of Porto." Atmospheric Environment 222, no. : 117123.

Conference paper
Published: 04 September 2019 in Air Pollution XXVII
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ACS Style

Kevin Oliveira; Vera Rodrigues; Silvia Coelho; Ana Patrícia Fernandes; Sandra Rafael; Carlos Faria; Joana Ferreira; Carlos Borrego; Trond Husby; Iason Diafas; Per Sieverts Nielsen; Xiufeng Liu; Angreine Kewo; Carlo Trozzi; Enzo Piscitello; Kris Vanherle; Svein Knudsen; Evert Bouman; Jo Barnes; Stephan Slingerland; Enda Hayes; Hans Bolscher; Myriam Lopes. ASSESSMENT OF SOURCE CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE URBAN AIR QUALITY FOR THE BRISTOL CLAIRCITY PILOT CASE. Air Pollution XXVII 2019, 1 .

AMA Style

Kevin Oliveira, Vera Rodrigues, Silvia Coelho, Ana Patrícia Fernandes, Sandra Rafael, Carlos Faria, Joana Ferreira, Carlos Borrego, Trond Husby, Iason Diafas, Per Sieverts Nielsen, Xiufeng Liu, Angreine Kewo, Carlo Trozzi, Enzo Piscitello, Kris Vanherle, Svein Knudsen, Evert Bouman, Jo Barnes, Stephan Slingerland, Enda Hayes, Hans Bolscher, Myriam Lopes. ASSESSMENT OF SOURCE CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE URBAN AIR QUALITY FOR THE BRISTOL CLAIRCITY PILOT CASE. Air Pollution XXVII. 2019; ():1.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Kevin Oliveira; Vera Rodrigues; Silvia Coelho; Ana Patrícia Fernandes; Sandra Rafael; Carlos Faria; Joana Ferreira; Carlos Borrego; Trond Husby; Iason Diafas; Per Sieverts Nielsen; Xiufeng Liu; Angreine Kewo; Carlo Trozzi; Enzo Piscitello; Kris Vanherle; Svein Knudsen; Evert Bouman; Jo Barnes; Stephan Slingerland; Enda Hayes; Hans Bolscher; Myriam Lopes. 2019. "ASSESSMENT OF SOURCE CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE URBAN AIR QUALITY FOR THE BRISTOL CLAIRCITY PILOT CASE." Air Pollution XXVII , no. : 1.

Proceedings article
Published: 03 September 2019 in Urban Transport XXV
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ACS Style

Luís Correia; Sandra Rafael; Diogo Lopes; Jorge Bandeira; Margarida Coelho; Mário Andrade; Carlos Borrego; Ana Miranda. ASSESSMENT OF LOCAL AIR QUALITY FOR DIFFERENT PENETRATION LEVELS OF CONNECTED AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES. Urban Transport XXV 2019, 1 .

AMA Style

Luís Correia, Sandra Rafael, Diogo Lopes, Jorge Bandeira, Margarida Coelho, Mário Andrade, Carlos Borrego, Ana Miranda. ASSESSMENT OF LOCAL AIR QUALITY FOR DIFFERENT PENETRATION LEVELS OF CONNECTED AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES. Urban Transport XXV. 2019; ():1.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Luís Correia; Sandra Rafael; Diogo Lopes; Jorge Bandeira; Margarida Coelho; Mário Andrade; Carlos Borrego; Ana Miranda. 2019. "ASSESSMENT OF LOCAL AIR QUALITY FOR DIFFERENT PENETRATION LEVELS OF CONNECTED AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES." Urban Transport XXV , no. : 1.

Journal article
Published: 20 August 2019 in Science of The Total Environment
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The potential effects of future climate in green freshwater resources are an issue that needs to be addressed. The main goal of this study is to evaluate how future climate will affect green water scarcity resources, by calculating green water scarcity characterisation factors (CFs) under a reference (period 1986 to 2005) and a medium-term future (period 2046 to 2065) climate, based on the principles established by Quinteiro et al. (2018). This study considers a higher spatial resolution (9 × 9 km) than Quinteiro et al. (2018), improving the knowledge of green water scarcity conditions in mainland Portugal. The CFs were calculated considering two different interfaces: (1) interface green freshwater – topsoil (ws), and; (2) interface green freshwater – atmosphere (wa). At the interface ws, the relation between the changes on green freshwater flows and the surface blue freshwater recharge is considered, while at the interface wa the relation between the evapotranspiration (ET) recycled to the atmosphere and the precipitation levels at the same watershed level are considered. The green freshwater scarcity CFs were developed based on ET values, which in turn were calculated based on meteorological variables obtained with the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model. Some regions of Portugal are currently suffering of pressure on green freshwater resources (mainly in Central littoral and Western coastal areas). In general, green freshwater scarcity CFs is projected to increase in Portugal under future climate in comparison to the CFs obtained for reference conditions. Green freshwater scarcity CFs at the interface ws increase from 101 to 150%, while CFs at the interface wa increase from 301 to 800%. These results show that strategies and policies to support the management of green freshwater resources and land use planning, ensuring the highest level of freshwater productivity of crops and forests, should be developed.

ACS Style

Paula Quinteiro; Sandra Rafael; Bruno Vicente; Martinho Marta-Almeida; Alfredo Rocha; Luis Arroja; Ana Cláudia Dias. Mapping green water scarcity under climate change: A case study of Portugal. Science of The Total Environment 2019, 696, 134024 .

AMA Style

Paula Quinteiro, Sandra Rafael, Bruno Vicente, Martinho Marta-Almeida, Alfredo Rocha, Luis Arroja, Ana Cláudia Dias. Mapping green water scarcity under climate change: A case study of Portugal. Science of The Total Environment. 2019; 696 ():134024.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Paula Quinteiro; Sandra Rafael; Bruno Vicente; Martinho Marta-Almeida; Alfredo Rocha; Luis Arroja; Ana Cláudia Dias. 2019. "Mapping green water scarcity under climate change: A case study of Portugal." Science of The Total Environment 696, no. : 134024.

Journal article
Published: 12 April 2019 in Urban Climate
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The performance of WRF model was investigated for the simulation of urban microclimate, with particular focus on energy fluxes, using different urban surface parameterizations. The model performance was evaluated using measurements carried out between August and December 2014 in Portugal. Several simulations were performed over two different areas, Porto urban area and Aveiro suburban area, for the entire measurement period. Distinct simulations were performed using different urban parametrizations: (i) the Noah Land Surface Model (LSM); (ii) a single-layer urban canopy model (UCM); and (iii) a modelling system composed by WRF and SUEWS models (WRF-SUEWS). The results showed that both UCM and SUEWS are able to simulate the energy partitioning over the low and high intensity residential. At the low intensity residential area, the majority of energy is partitioned to latent heat flux, accounting on average for 47% and 49% of the daytime available energy, for UCM and SUEWS, respectively. At the high intensity residential area, the greatest share of energy goes to sensible heat flux (42% [UCM] and 50% [SUEWS]), followed by the storage heat flux (33% [UCM] and 43% [SUEWS]). For both areas, a completely different energy partitioning was obtained when the LSM was used. The analysis performed showed that the UCM are able to provide a more accurate turbulent energy partitioning (sensible and latent heat), which contribute to enhance the urban microclimate simulation results; the systematic model biases in the LSM simulation was reduced by 1–2 °C in air temperature and by 0.5–1 m s−1 in wind speeds at near surface layer, on average, depending on the urban density. The overall results suggest that an appropriate representation of urban physical processes are crucial to improve numerical tools suited for the modelling of the urban atmospheric boundary layer.

ACS Style

S. Rafael; V. Rodrigues; A.P. Fernandes; B. Augusto; C. Borrego; M. Lopes. Evaluation of urban surface parameterizations in WRF model using energy fluxes measurements in Portugal. Urban Climate 2019, 28, 100465 .

AMA Style

S. Rafael, V. Rodrigues, A.P. Fernandes, B. Augusto, C. Borrego, M. Lopes. Evaluation of urban surface parameterizations in WRF model using energy fluxes measurements in Portugal. Urban Climate. 2019; 28 ():100465.

Chicago/Turabian Style

S. Rafael; V. Rodrigues; A.P. Fernandes; B. Augusto; C. Borrego; M. Lopes. 2019. "Evaluation of urban surface parameterizations in WRF model using energy fluxes measurements in Portugal." Urban Climate 28, no. : 100465.

Article
Published: 10 April 2019 in Mathematical Geosciences
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EURO-CORDEX is an international initiative which provides regional climate projections based on multiple dynamical and empirical–statistical downscaling models. The goal of this work is to analyse the agreement between projections of the CLMCOM-CCLM4-8-17 (CLMCOM) and SMHI-RCA4 (SMHI) models across Europe. The variables temperature, precipitation and solar radiation were considered for a historical period (1971–2005) and for a future scenario (2006–2040). The overall agreement (\(\mathcal {A}\)) is defined as the normalised area of the magnitude-squared coherence function over the frequency range (averaged over time), being 0 for no agreement and 1 for total agreement between models. The relative mean difference (\(\mathcal {M}\)) and difference between the coefficients of variation (\(\mathcal {V}\)) are also explored, since coherence analysis cannot evaluate differences in mean and variability. Agreement values ranging from 0.32 to 0.74, 0.28 to 0.69 and 0.32 to 0.58 were found for temperature, precipitation and solar radiation, respectively, for the historical period. In all cases, the results show better agreement for lower than higher frequencies. Overall, the time series from both models behave fairly similarly for lower frequencies (i.e. the trend of the time series), while for higher frequencies (i.e. rapid changes in the time series), the similarities between the models are less consistent. For temperature, the \(\mathcal {M}\) and \(\mathcal {V}\) values are smaller than 2.5%, while for precipitation and solar radiation they can exceed 50% and 35%, respectively. Further analysis revealed that the contribution of winter and summer differs considerably for \(\mathcal {M}\) and \(\mathcal {V}\) values. In conclusion, it seems that such models can provide fairly similar results when considering long periods of time.

ACS Style

Ana Martins; Sandra Rafael; Alexandra Monteiro; Manuel Scotto; Sónia Gouveia. Euro-Cordex Regional Projection Models: What Kind of Agreement for Europe? Mathematical Geosciences 2019, 51, 1021 -1035.

AMA Style

Ana Martins, Sandra Rafael, Alexandra Monteiro, Manuel Scotto, Sónia Gouveia. Euro-Cordex Regional Projection Models: What Kind of Agreement for Europe? Mathematical Geosciences. 2019; 51 (8):1021-1035.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Ana Martins; Sandra Rafael; Alexandra Monteiro; Manuel Scotto; Sónia Gouveia. 2019. "Euro-Cordex Regional Projection Models: What Kind of Agreement for Europe?" Mathematical Geosciences 51, no. 8: 1021-1035.

Journal article
Published: 24 January 2019 in Transportation Research Procedia
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This paper presents a methodology for building a link-based eco-indicator which includes different impacts of road traffic. The proposed traffic management tool can be updated in real-time through multiple information sources and translated into a cost factor to be straightforwardly applied into eco-routing algorithms and/or intelligent road pricing systems. The link-based eco-indicator has been tested in several urban and rural links of heterogeneous characteristics during peak and off-peak hours. It has been shown that both dynamic adjustment factors related to online background concentrations and/or citizen’s activity may lead to different sustainable traffic management strategies. When evaluating and comparing costs of a single link-based eco-based indicator with National Average (without taking in account people exposure) and a Vulnerability Factor (VF), the total costs using VF increase 158%. In the origin-destination routing problem performed using the distance and travel time as criteria, the costs (for off-peak hours) using VF factor are 80% and 15% higher, respectively. The results achieved in this paper highlight the importance of taking into account vulnerability of people exposure when implementing eco traffic management measures.

ACS Style

Carlos Sampaio; Jorge M. Bandeira; Eloisa Macedo; Mariana Vilaça; Claudio Guarnaccia; Bernard Friedrich; Hélder Relvas; Sandra Rafael; Vera Rodrigues; Margarida C. Coelho. A Dynamic Link-based Eco-indicator for supporting equitable traffic management strategies. Transportation Research Procedia 2019, 37, 43 -50.

AMA Style

Carlos Sampaio, Jorge M. Bandeira, Eloisa Macedo, Mariana Vilaça, Claudio Guarnaccia, Bernard Friedrich, Hélder Relvas, Sandra Rafael, Vera Rodrigues, Margarida C. Coelho. A Dynamic Link-based Eco-indicator for supporting equitable traffic management strategies. Transportation Research Procedia. 2019; 37 ():43-50.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Carlos Sampaio; Jorge M. Bandeira; Eloisa Macedo; Mariana Vilaça; Claudio Guarnaccia; Bernard Friedrich; Hélder Relvas; Sandra Rafael; Vera Rodrigues; Margarida C. Coelho. 2019. "A Dynamic Link-based Eco-indicator for supporting equitable traffic management strategies." Transportation Research Procedia 37, no. : 43-50.

Article
Published: 12 September 2018 in Air Quality, Atmosphere & Health
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Urban mobility accounts for 38 and 19% of nitrogen oxide (NOx) and particulate matter (PM) emissions at European urban areas, respectively. Despite of all the technological development around automobile industry, urban areas are still facing problems related to exposure to high levels of air pollutants. Increasing the accuracy of both emissions and air quality modelling from road traffic is a key-issue for the management of air pollution in road transport sector. This study assessed the influence of using different road traffic emission models on the accuracy of air quality modelling with street-level resolution, having as a case study an urban area located on the centre region of Portugal. Two emission models, with different complexity levels regarding the ability to characterise the traffic dynamics were analysed, namely, transport emission model for line sources (TREM) and vehicle-specific power (VSP), based on data obtained in an experimental campaign. To perform the air quality simulations, the pollutant dispersion in the atmosphere under variable wind conditions (VADIS) model was used and two pollutants were analysed: NOx and PM10. The results showed that the magnitude of PM10 and NOx concentrations were result of a conjoint influence of traffic dynamics and meteorological conditions. Comparison between measured and modelled data showed that the VADIS model could track the evolution of NOx levels, for both emission models considered, displaying a high correlation (> 0.8) between traffic-related NOx emissions and NOx concentrations. For PM10, VADIS model is more sensitive to the differences in the emissions calculation; however, it was observed that the traffic-related PM10 emissions accounts 1.3–8.4% to the PM10 concentration levels at the study area.

ACS Style

Bruno Vicente; Sandra Rafael; Vera Rodrigues; Hélder Relvas; Mariana Vilaça; João Teixeira; Jorge Bandeira; Margarida Coelho; Carlos Borrego. Influence of different complexity levels of road traffic models on air quality modelling at street scale. Air Quality, Atmosphere & Health 2018, 11, 1217 -1232.

AMA Style

Bruno Vicente, Sandra Rafael, Vera Rodrigues, Hélder Relvas, Mariana Vilaça, João Teixeira, Jorge Bandeira, Margarida Coelho, Carlos Borrego. Influence of different complexity levels of road traffic models on air quality modelling at street scale. Air Quality, Atmosphere & Health. 2018; 11 (10):1217-1232.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Bruno Vicente; Sandra Rafael; Vera Rodrigues; Hélder Relvas; Mariana Vilaça; João Teixeira; Jorge Bandeira; Margarida Coelho; Carlos Borrego. 2018. "Influence of different complexity levels of road traffic models on air quality modelling at street scale." Air Quality, Atmosphere & Health 11, no. 10: 1217-1232.

Journal article
Published: 26 July 2018 in Atmospheric Environment
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Air pollution is an environmental and social issue at different spatial scales, especially in a climate change context, with an expected decrease of air quality. Despite the technological evolution of the last decades in the transport sector, road traffic emissions are still one major source of air pollution at the city level. The main goal of this study was to evaluate the influence of a set of resilience measures, based on nature-based solutions, in the wind flow and in the dispersion of air pollutants, in a built-up area in Portugal. For that, two pollutants were analysed (NOX and PM10) and four scenarios were developed: i) a baseline scenario, ii) an urban green scenario, iii) a green roof scenario, and iv) a “grey” scenario (without trees). Two models were used, namely the Weather Research and Forecasting model (WRF) and the CFD model VADIS (pollutant dispersion in the atmosphere under variable wind conditions). The WRF model was used to initialize the CFD model, while the last was one used to perform the set of numerical simulations, on hourly basis. The implementation of a green urban area promoted a reduction of air pollutants concentrations, of about 16% [PM10] and 19% [NOx] in the overall domain; while the application of green roofs showed an increase of concentrations (reaching 60% during specific time periods). Overall the results showed that a strategic placement of vegetation in cities has the potential to make an important contribution to the improvement of air quality and sustainability of urban environments.

ACS Style

S. Rafael; B. Vicente; V. Rodrigues; A.I. Miranda; C. Borrego; M. Lopes. Impacts of green infrastructures on aerodynamic flow and air quality in Porto's urban area. Atmospheric Environment 2018, 190, 317 -330.

AMA Style

S. Rafael, B. Vicente, V. Rodrigues, A.I. Miranda, C. Borrego, M. Lopes. Impacts of green infrastructures on aerodynamic flow and air quality in Porto's urban area. Atmospheric Environment. 2018; 190 ():317-330.

Chicago/Turabian Style

S. Rafael; B. Vicente; V. Rodrigues; A.I. Miranda; C. Borrego; M. Lopes. 2018. "Impacts of green infrastructures on aerodynamic flow and air quality in Porto's urban area." Atmospheric Environment 190, no. : 317-330.

Proceedings article
Published: 19 June 2018 in Air Pollution XXVI
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ACS Style

Helder Relvas; Joana Ferreira; Diogo Lopes; Sandra Rafael; S. Marta Almeida; Ana Miranda. IMPROVING AIR QUALITY AND HUMAN HEALTH: AN APPROACH BASED ON ARTIFICIAL NEURAL NETWORKS. Air Pollution XXVI 2018, 230, 205 -212.

AMA Style

Helder Relvas, Joana Ferreira, Diogo Lopes, Sandra Rafael, S. Marta Almeida, Ana Miranda. IMPROVING AIR QUALITY AND HUMAN HEALTH: AN APPROACH BASED ON ARTIFICIAL NEURAL NETWORKS. Air Pollution XXVI. 2018; 230 ():205-212.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Helder Relvas; Joana Ferreira; Diogo Lopes; Sandra Rafael; S. Marta Almeida; Ana Miranda. 2018. "IMPROVING AIR QUALITY AND HUMAN HEALTH: AN APPROACH BASED ON ARTIFICIAL NEURAL NETWORKS." Air Pollution XXVI 230, no. : 205-212.