A Study on Microclimate characteristics and energy balance within near-river riparian systems

Abstract

Riparian microclimate studies are gaining increasing attention due to their close ecological, climatologic and aesthetic interactions with lives in both natural and urban areas. Historically, many researchers studied thermal regimes of rivers and river temperature responses to different management strategies. Near-river microclimate characteristics and relevant energy balance were not fully understood. This review documents recent research on near-river microclimatic features and energy exchanging processes, roles of macroclimate, rivers, riparian vegetation and topography play in microclimate mitigation, their ecological importance in terms of biodiversity support and human thermal comfort promotion. It also emphasizes potentials of studies on integration of rivers and plants, as well as their controls on heat exchanging. This study is hopefully useful for river scholars to strengthen the comprehension for further research, as well as for river designers and managers to make informed decisions of sustainable urban development.