Swiss researchers develop method to correct temperature measurement errors in urban heat monitoring networks
Researchers in Switzerland developed a statistical method to correct temperature measurement errors in low-cost sensor networks deployed across four Swiss cities to better assess urban heat. The study found that professional weather stations outside cities underestimate urban heat warnings, while some low-cost devices overestimate them due to inadequate radiation shielding. Accurate urban heat monitoring is critical for developing effective adaptation strategies as cities face increasing heatwave exposure.
A new preprint study from researchers working with urban climate networks in Bern, Lausanne, Neuchâtel, and Zurich examined the reliability of low-cost temperature sensors used to map intra-urban heat distribution at high spatial resolution. The researchers developed a correction method using a generalized additive model (GAM) that adjusts for temperature biases caused by short-wave radiation — a known problem when sensors lack adequate radiation shielding. Calibration was performed by collocating low-cost devices next to a professional MeteoSwiss automated weather station (AWS) in a rural setting near Bern. The corrected measurements were then used to evaluate two heat indices: the number of tropical nights and the number of heat warnings issued under MeteoSwiss's official system. Results showed that rural AWS systematically underestimate urban heat warnings, while certain uncorrected low-cost sensor models overestimate them, though even uncorrected low-cost sensors outperform rural AWS for representing urban temperatures. The authors suggest their findings can guide both the selection of sensor models for new monitoring networks and the application of model-specific bias corrections to existing deployments.
What's missing
The study is a preprint and has not yet undergone peer review. It does not address how correction performance may vary across seasons or under different meteorological conditions beyond radiation intensity, nor does it evaluate sensor performance in cities outside Switzerland, which may limit generalizability. Long-term drift of low-cost sensors over time is not assessed.
What different sources said
- arXiv physicsCenter
Revisiting urban heat indices in Switzerland using low-cost measurement networks
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