PANAME-Urban Campaign: Investigating Multiscale Surface-Atmosphere Interactions and Thermal Contrasts in the Paris Region (France)

Année de publication

2026

The Paris urban area is characterized by significant landscape artificialization and high population density. The strong urban heat islands it experiences, combined with an increase in heat wave warnings over the last decade, pose major challenges in heat exposure. With the goal to improve our understanding of the urban climate, its spatial and temporal variability, and its link to local meteorology, the large Paris Region Urban Atmospheric Observations and Models for Multidisciplinary Research (PANAME)-Urban experimental campaign was implemented over the region and the city of Paris. It began in summer 2022 with the deployment of continuous and long-term observation systems (for at least 1 year, but some are still in operation) and the organization of two special observation periods in summers 2022 and 2023. The experimental setup combined a regional-scale monitoring of the atmospheric boundary layer and a surface-level deployment from the regional scale to the infraurban scale in Paris. The purpose of this article is to present the PANAME-Urban experimental program and database, providing an overview of the observation systems that have been operated. In addition, through case studies, this work highlights the relevance of a multiscale observation network to monitor and study connections that can be established between regional-scale turbulent regimes and the signature of the mesoscale urban heat island down to very fine temperature contrasts and local cooling effects of city parks. This PANAME-Urban database aims to continue to support numerous process studies and to strengthen synergy with high-resolution meteorological models. The knowledge acquired is also intended to provide recommendations in terms of urban design and heat prevention. Significance Statement The experimental program implemented over the Paris region since 2022 aims to document the spatiotemporal variability of the urban climate, the surface processes driving thermal contrasts, and the complex interactions with the atmospheric boundary layer. This multisensor and multiscale approach provides a comprehensive database of atmospheric variables observed near the surface and vertically for process studies, but also for evaluating meteorological and air quality models for forecasting fine-scale environmental conditions. The experimental deployment is combining multiyear monitoring through both surface observations and ground-based remote sensing with additional systems (especially multicopter drones) operated in the city during intensive observation periods. The experimental protocol was designed to address key scientific questions (especially related to the cooling capacity of urban parks under varying synoptic conditions) with the support of real-time weather modeling.</div>

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