In the quest to improve the urban climate, it is important to monitor climatic parameters such as air, temperature and wind. In Berlin, both stationary and mobile measurements combined with data analyses on land use and impervious soil coverage were applied for this purpose for many years. These methods meant that local and regional wind circulation systems could only be investigated and distinguished to a limited extent; they are, however, essential for the climate of a city.
The Climate Model Berlin provides information on the climatic conditions for the city area and its immediate surroundings. It was carried out in 2005 using a grid resolution of 50 × 50 metres and categorised into important parameters. The central component of this process was the simulation model FITNAH, which provides detailed calculations for wind and temperature conditions. This resulted in a snapshot of the climatic conditions that is not only current but also extremely accurate; reliable information can thus be extracted on scales ranging from 1 : 100,000 to 1 : 20,000.
The parameters presented include the most important variables such as near-ground temperatures, wind field and near-ground currents. All parameters are presented for both 10 pm and 6 am, relating to a height of two metres. Based on analyses focussing on air exchange and air mass flow, green spaces involved in cold air generation may be distinguished both from those involved in cold air outflow and from green settlement types during a low-exchange warm summer night. This type of information comes in handy when planning climatic compensation measures.