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Characteristics of the Park Cool Island in Golden Gate Park, San Francisco

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Abstract

Mobile bicycle transects were conducted in Golden Gate Park and surrounding residential neighborhoods of San Francisco, CA, during the period July–October 2012. Measurements included air temperature at six heights from 0.15 to 2.5 m, as well as relative humidity, solar radiation, and surface radiometric temperature. Park temperatures were lower than surrounding neighborhoods at all measurement levels, and mean Park Cool Island (PCI) values ranged from 0.9 °C for grass playing fields to 1.9 °C for tree groves during typical cool (~ 16 °C) summer conditions. These increased to 2.6 °C and 3.7 °C, respectively, during periodic warm events (~ 30 °C). Grass fields produced strong temperature lapse profiles, similar to asphalt surfaces, while dense trees produced a near-isothermal profile. Shade enhanced cooling by 1–8 °C throughout the 2.5-m layer, peaking near the surface, and frequently producing inversions below 0.5 m. Complexity in the lower surface layer temperature profile suggests measurements of air temperature at one height may be insufficient to characterize the PCI. The park also produced a consistent humidity enhancement, with differences in vapor pressure between urban and park surfaces of up to 10 hPa. The humidity difference was positively correlated with the PCI and also doubled between cool and warm periods. This, along with assessment of the role of shade, and the daytime peak, suggests evaporative cooling and shade cooling are the main drivers of the PCI in Golden Gate Park. The advection of cool air from the park into leeward neighborhoods was limited below 2.5 m, and was only observable within the first few hundred meters. Implications for urban planning suggest urban green spaces that provide abundant vegetation, including dense tree canopies, and are widely accessible to inhabitants can be most effective for in situ thermal comfort, particularly temperature relief during heat events.

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Data availability

All data freely and universally available by contacting the corresponding author.

Code availability

Analysis was conducted using Matlab and R. No custom code was used in this study. The results can be easily replicated from the dataset and information provided in the manuscript.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank the California Academy of Sciences, especially Ari Harding, for providing meteorological data from their building roof in Golden Gate Park and Caitlin Jensen for help with fieldwork.

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  1. Department of Geography & Environment, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA, USA

    Stephanie May & Andrew J. Oliphant

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  1. Stephanie May
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Both authors were involved in every step of this study, including experimental conception and design, fieldwork, data analysis, and writing.

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Correspondence to Andrew J. Oliphant.

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May, S., Oliphant, A.J. Characteristics of the Park Cool Island in Golden Gate Park, San Francisco. Theor Appl Climatol 151, 1269–1282 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00704-022-04296-x

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