Urban Heat Islands: Observations, Impacts, and Adaptation

Abstract

Urban heat islands are a clear, well‐documented example of an anthropogenic modification to climate that has an atmospheric, biological, and economic impact. This review shows how field‐based and modeling studies continue to help unravel the factors that are responsible for heat island development and are providing a basis for the development and application of sustainable adaptation strategies. As urban areas continue to expand, there is a heightened awareness that scientific knowledge of the urban heat island must be more effectively communicated to architects, engineers, and planners and translated into intelligent urban design. Green roof technology is a case in point. This and other technologies are being slowly adopted, and research published since 2003 suggests that the pace with which many practical applications are put into practice should accelerate.

A statistical model for the urban heat island and its application to a climate change scenario

“…The most known phenomenon is the urban heat island (UHI) which refers to the higher air temperatures in urban areas compared to the surrounding rural areas (Oke, 1987). The main causes of the UHI are the higher heat capacity of urban surfaces, the trapping of radiation in street canyons, the reduced vertical exchange due to a reduced wind speed, and anthropogenic heat release (Yow, 2007). The UHI intensity varies with the morphology and the size of the city (Oke, 1973;Sakakibara and Matsui, 2005) and with meteorological conditions (Arnfield, 2003).…”

Assessment of Urban Heat Islands in Small- and Mid-Sized Cities in Brazil

“…Given the increasing number of people living in cities and the atmospheric changes caused by urbanization, urban heat islands (UHIs) have been detected within very different sized cities and differentiated by their intensities or magnitudes [1][2][3][4][5].…”

Patterns of Urban Heat Island Effect in Adelaide: A Mobile Traverse Experiment

“…The magnitude of urban-rural temperature differences is usually reported to be higher at night time (Runnalls & Oke, 2000). As such the UHI effect is frequently known as a night time phenomenon in urban climatology (Arnfield, 2003;Erell et al, 2011;Gartland, 2008;Ichinose, Matsumoto, & Kataoka, 2008;Oke, 1988Oke, , 2006aYow, 2007).…”

“…UHI literature indicates that the urban-rural temperature differences start to develop during the day under clear sky due to the maximum chance of solar gain (Arnfield, 2003;Ashie, 2008;Erell, 2008;Gartland, 2008;Karatasou, Santamouris, & Geros, 2006;Oke, 1987Oke, , 1988Oke, , 2006bRyu & Baik, 2012;Tapper, 1990;Yow, 2007). Calm weather conditions cause the warm air to be withheld in the built environment for an extended time (Gartland, 2008;Morris, Simmonds, & Plummer, 2001;Oke, 2006b;Wong & Yu, 2008).…”