Abstract New York City needs a better understanding of how air mixes between subterranean, street-level and regional airflow. Important quality of life issues, including everyday pulmonary health and even occasional emergency conditions depend upon this understanding. Accordingly, an international team of urban climatologists is focused on this complex exchange of air. In this preliminary study, hypotheses are put forward, a method is developed and tested, data is charted and analyzed, and results are scrutinized for meaningful lessons.
Initial results show the efficacy of our methodology and the urgency for an expanded study.
This paper begins with basics because climatologists and engineers know little about subways as a component of urban climate. However, even more possibilities exist within the subway system, e.g., there are interconnections between tunnels in the tubes. Forgotten, abandoned, or little used tunnels and switchyards. Finally, there are the effects of regional and local weather conditions that are beyond the scope of this preliminary study. These substantially influence wind flow in the subway system.