A dataset of criteria on the use of thermal insulation solutions in building facades located in Norway, Portugal and Italy.

The building sector is responsible for a significant percentage of the energy consumption in Europe. The level of thermal insulation of the building envelope leads to decrease energy consumption, thus contributing towards a sustainable and efficient built environment. As a result, the choice of the most suitable thermal insulation solution to be applied both in new construction and in retrofitting of building facades is fundamental for a satisfactory thermal performance of the building. Nevertheless, the thermal insulation solution should not be chosen considering only the thermal performance, but rather based on a set of performance parameters (i.e., water resistance, fire performance, impact on the environment and human health, among others) and climate-related requirements. This data article includes a dataset on criteria adopted in three European countries (namely Norway, Portugal, and Italy) considering a PESTE analysis (i.e., criteria related to Political, Economic, Social, Technological, and Environmental questions). The main objective was to evaluate the knowledge and perception of people living and/or working in these countries about the use and the performance of thermal insulation solutions in building facades. To this aim a questionnaire was developed within the scope of the EEA Granted EFFICACY research project (November 2022 - February 2023), whose overall objective is to create a database that serves as a reference for the choice of thermal insulation solutions to be applied in building facades for thermal and energy performances optimization. This database contributes to systemize criteria and can be extended by other researchers or professionals in the area, as well as in other countries.

Assessment of indoor climate of Mogila Abbey in Kraków (Poland) and the application of the analogues method to predict microclimate indoor conditions.

The microclimatic monitoring of the historic church of Mogila Abbey (Kraków, Poland) was carried out to study the impact of the environmental parameters on the organic and hygroscopic artworks. Specific indexes were proposed to objectively assess the quality of time series of temperature (T), relative humidity (RH), and carbon dioxide (CO2) before applying the exploratory data analysis. The series were used to define the historic environmental conditions as stated in the European Standard EN 15757:2010 and with the use of the climate evaluation chart (CEC). It was found that the percentage of time in which T and RH values are within the allowable limits of the ASHRAE (2011) Class B is more than 85 %. This means that, for about 15 % of the time, there is a high risk of mechanical damage to highly vulnerable objects mainly due to the RH variability. The environment at the chancel resulted moister than that at the cornice, and the fungal growth is possible. In addition, the time-weighted preservation index (TWPI) is computed to evaluate the life expectancy of the objects, taking into account the environmental conditions of the site under study. The method of analogues, developed to predict the evolution of a system given observations of the past and without the knowledge of any equation among variables, was proposed and applied to the time series of temperature, relative humidity, and carbon dioxide with a 1-h sampling time to avoid the influence of the autocorrelation.

Stable isotope analysis of archaeological oak charcoal from eastern Anatolia as a marker of mid-Holocene climate change.

Comparison between modern trees and archaeological charred wood is an under-explored method to study climate change, which may help to infer past environmental changes. The stable carbon content of deciduous oak charcoals was analysed for five periods covering more than a 1000 years (3350-2000 BC) at the site of Arslantepe, Turkey, together with modern deciduous oak specimens from five rare arboreal patches still present in the area (17-64 km from the site). In studies of past climate change it is difficult to distinguish human-induced changes from independent variations, such as the impact of past populations on the landscape and their relationship with climate changes in the mid-Holocene. Archaeology can evaluate climate signals preserved in fossil plants in light of past human life. This paper will contribute to understanding environmental changes that can be attributed to climate variation and those linked to human activities. We compared (13) C/(12) C of modern and fossil oaks in order to correlate the (13) C-content to environmental features of Arslantepe, both today and between 3350 and 2000 BC. At present, this area is semi-arid. The results show important similarities to palaeoenvironmental records for the rest of the Near East. The climate trend can be divided in three main phases: instability phase from ca. 3200 to 2900 BC; a phase of relative stability (until 2350 BC); and a final increase in aridity. The comparison of Δ(13) C values between fossil and modern plants shows that present climate is more arid than that between the end of the fourth and the whole third millennium BC.

Quantitative evaluation of personal exposure to UV radiation of workers and general public.

Due to meteorological conditions variability and to the variability of exposure patterns, which can be largely different during a working day, personal dosemeters use can be necessary to obtain a correct quantitative evaluation of the radiation dose absorbed by an exposed worker. Different classes of personal dosemeters exist and, among them, electronic dosemeters and polysulphone film dosemeters. An experimental campaign is presented conduced in a cultivated area of Tuscany and some aspects are discussed about an experimental campaign performed on a population of volunteers on a central Italy beach near Rome. The aim of the present work is to show some relevant issues in a dosimetric approach to the exposure evaluation of outdoor workers and, in general, of the public during recreational activities.

Variability among polysulphone calibration curves.

Within an epidemiological study regarding the correlation between skin pathologies and personal ultraviolet (UV) exposure due to solar radiation, 14 field campaigns using polysulphone (PS) dosemeters were carried out at three different Italian sites (urban, semi-rural and rural) in every season of the year. A polysulphone calibration curve for each field experiment was obtained by measuring the ambient UV dose under almost clear sky conditions and the corresponding change in the PS film absorbance, prior and post exposure. Ambient UV doses were measured by well-calibrated broad-band radiometers and by electronic dosemeters. The dose-response relation was represented by the typical best fit to a third-degree polynomial and it was parameterized by a coefficient multiplying a cubic polynomial function. It was observed that the fit curves differed from each other in the coefficient only. It was assessed that the multiplying coefficient was affected by the solar UV spectrum at the Earth's surface whilst the polynomial factor depended on the photoinduced reaction of the polysulphone film. The mismatch between the polysulphone spectral curve and the CIE erythemal action spectrum was responsible for the variability among polysulphone calibration curves. The variability of the coefficient was related to the total ozone amount and the solar zenith angle. A mathematical explanation of such a parameterization was also discussed.

A canopy layer model and its application to Rome.

An urban canopy layer model based on four energy balance equations at ground level and at building level was developed to simulate and describe the urban climate and the heat storage in an urban setting. Thermal and radiative characteristics of urban and rural surfaces as well as atmospheric parameters related to the general synoptic conditions were used as data input. In addition, buildings were modelled as parallelepipeds and the hysteresis of materials was taken into account. The model provides as output skin temperature of buildings, air temperature and humidity within the canopy layer and hence the mean surface temperature and the air temperature at 2 m above surface. The latter parameter was used for the comparison with in situ temperature observations. The model was applied to Rome in radiative summer and winter episodes. The results, which agree with observations, show that the Urban Heat Island (UHI) is a nocturnal phenomenon, present both in winter (the greatest difference between urban and rural temperatures is about 2 degrees C) and summer (the temperature difference is about 5 degrees C), mainly resulting from the urban geometry and the thermal properties of materials. The anthropogenic heat does not play an important role in the UHI development. A monthly nocturnal behaviour of temperature differences between urban and surrounding rural areas shows that the maximum mean value of 4.2 degrees C occurs in August. Moreover, the parks in the city centre, where temperatures are lower, define two distinct heat islands, east and west.

Spectral ultraviolet measurements by a multichannel monitor and a brewer spectroradiometer: a field study.

Two different instruments for measuring the spectral UV irradiance were used in a field comparison study in July 2000 in Rome, Italy: a Brewer spectrophotometer and a moderate-bandwidth filter radiometer (GUV-511C). The Brewer is designed to measure the solar spectral irradiances in the region from 290 nm to 325 nm with a spectral resolution of 0.5 nm. The GUV-511C measures hand-averaged spectral irradiance at four wavelengths: 305, 320, 340 and 380 nm with a bandwidth depending on the filter type for each channel (about 10 nm full width half maximum, FWHM). Comparisons between the two instruments were made for 5 days for the two wavelengths 305 and 320 nm under different meteorological conditions with the Brewer taken as the reference.

Solar UV dose patterns in Italy.

Since 1992 solar ultraviolet (UV) spectral irradiance (290-325 nm) has been measured at two Italian stations of Rome (urban site) and Ispra (semirural site) using Brewer spectrophotometry. The data collected under all sky conditions, are compared with the output of a sophisticated radiative transfer model (System for Transfer of Atmospheric Radiation--STAR model). The STAR multiple scattering scheme is able to cope with all physical processes relevant to the UV transfer through the atmosphere. The experience so far acquired indicates that, in spite of the unavoidable uncertainties in the input parameters (ozone, aerosol, surface albedo, pressure, temperature, relative humidity, cloud cover), measured and computed clear sky iradiances are in reasonable agreement. The STAR model is applied to build up the solar UV geographic patterns in Italy: the daily dose in the range 290-325 nm is computed at about 70 sites where a thorough and homogeneous climatology is available. For each month the concept of an idealized "standard day" is introduced and the surface distribution of solar UV field determined. The map of solar UV patterns for Italy, available for the first time, meets the study requirements in the field of skin and eye epidemiology, as well as in other investigations dealing with the impact of UV on the biosphere. The results are interpreted in terms of atmospheric and meteorological parameters modulating UV radiation reaching the ground.