Abstract
Photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) is a critical component driving the photosynthetic processes of plants. The content of global solar radiation (Rs) in PAR wavelengths, expressed as the PAR/Rs ratio, is an important attribute in meteorological and biological studies. Especially in the urban environment, which is affected by pollutants, urban materials, and elements, the solar radiation fluxes and their relations are highly influenced. In the present study, PAR/Rs is investigated in the Mediterranean urban environment of Attica, Greece. The temporal variation of the hourly ratio values is assessed in conjunction with several meteorological factors. The results indicate an annual PAR/Rs average value of 0.385 (SD = 0.039), with rather constant seasonal and monthly values and small variability, possibly attributed to the urban microclimate with small variability. Atmospheric clearness index and optical thickness were the most influential factors for the formation of the radiation ratio, which is also affected, to a lesser degree, by temperature, humidity, and related attributes. Aerosols, especially O3, NO2, and CO, also have impacts on the radiation ratio due to their preferred radiation absorbance at specific wavelengths. The results suggest important differences with similar studies in forest areas, underscoring the need for expanding the study in urban green areas, especially in Mediterranean cities.
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Data availability
The radiation data presented in this study are available on request from the corresponding author. Publicly available datasets of aerosol emissions were also analyzed in this study. This data can be found here: https://ypen.gov.gr/perivallon/poiotita-tis-atmosfairas/dedomena-metriseon-atmosfairikis-rypansis/.
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Acknowledgements
The authors acknowledge the contribution of Scientact S.A. company for providing high-precision equipment for the calibration of the radiometers.
Funding
This research was funded by the LIFE GrIn project “Promoting urban Integration of GReen INfrastructure to improve climate governance in cities” LIFE17 GIC/GR/000029, which is co-funded by the European Commission under the Climate Change Action-Climate Change Governance and Information component of the LIFE Programme and the Greek Green Fund.
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N.P. and A.L. wrote the original manuscript, and N.P. and S.A. prepared all the figures. All authors participated to the data processing and also to the writing, review, and editing process for the final version of the manuscript.
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Proutsos, N., Liakatas, A., Alexandris, S. et al. Assessing the impact of atmospheric attributes on the effectiveness of solar irradiance for photosynthesis of urban vegetation in Attica, Greece. Theor Appl Climatol 155, 1415–1427 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00704-023-04700-0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00704-023-04700-0