Assessment of urban heat island effect for different land use–land cover from micrometeorological measurements and remote sensing data for megacity Delhi

Urban heat island intensities (UHI) have been assessed based on in situ measurements and satellite-derived observations for the megacity Delhi during a selected period in March 2010. A network of micrometeorological observational stations was set up across the city. Site selection for stations was based on dominant land use–land cover (LULC) classification. Observed UHI intensities could be classified into high, medium and low categories which overall correlated well with the LULC categories viz. dense built-up, medium dense built-up and green/open areas, respectively. Dense urban areas and highly commercial areas were observed to have highest UHI with maximum hourly magnitude peaking up to 10.7 °C and average daily maximum UHI reaching 8.3 °C. UHI obtained in the study was also compared with satellite-derived land surface temperatures (LST). UHI based on in situ ambient temperatures and satellite-derived land surface temperatures show reasonable comparison during nighttime in terms of UHI magnitude and hotspots. However, the relation was found to be poor during daytime. Further, MODIS-derived LSTs showed overestimation during daytime and underestimation during nighttime when compared with in situ skin temperature measurements. Impact of LULC was also reflected in the difference between ambient temperature and skin temperature at the observation stations as built-up canopies reported largest gradient between air and skin temperature. Also, a comparison of intra-city spatial temperature variations based UHI vis-à-vis a reference rural site temperature-based UHI indicated that UHI can be computed with respect to the station measuring lowest temperature within the urban area in the absence of a reference station in the rural area close to the study area. Comparison with maximum and average UHI of other cities of the world revealed that UHI in Delhi is comparable to other major cities of the world such as London, Tokyo and Beijing and calls for mitigation action plans.     

The surface urban heat island in the city of Brno (Czech Republic) derived from land surface temperatures and selected reasons for its spatial variability

Thermal infrared images from Landsat satellites are used to derive land surface temperatures (LST) and to calculate the intensity of the surface urban heat island (UHI) during the summer season in and around the city of Brno (Czech Republic). Overall relief, land use structure, and the distribution of built-up areas determine LST and UHI spatial variability in the study area. Land-cover classes, amount and vigor of vegetation, and density of built-up areas are used as explanatory variables. The highest LST values typically occur in industrial and commercial areas, which contribute significantly to surface UHI intensity. The intensity of surface UHI, defined as the difference between mean LST for urban and rural areas, reached 4.2 and 6.7 °C in the two images analyzed. Analysis of two surface characteristics in terms of the amount of vegetation cover, represented by normalized difference vegetation index, demonstrates the predominance of LST variability (56–67 % of explained variance) over the degree of urbanization as represented by density of buildings (37–40 % of LST variance).     

Urban heat island in a coastal urban area in northern Spain

This work examines the characteristics of the urban heat island (UHI) in a medium-sized city in northern Spain (Bilbao) using 5-year climate data (2005–2009) and the results of three specific measurement campaigns (2009–2010). Urban climate variables are not only compared with those in rural sites but also local climatic differences occurring inside the city are analysed. The findings presented in this paper show the influence of complex topography and sea/land breeze in the urban climate. Spatial characteristics and temporal evolution of UHI is presented. Hourly maximum temperature anomaly (ΔT _{u–r, max}) occurs just after sunrise and an urban cold island (UCI) is developed after midday. Along the year, mean UHI intensity is highest in autumn and the UCI effect increases in spring and summer in relation with sea breeze cooling potential. Diurnal and seasonal variation of air flow patterns appear to influence significantly on UHI intensity.     

Estimation of urban heat island intensity using biases in surface air temperature simulated by a nonhydrostatic regional climate model

This study demonstrates that urban heat island (UHI) intensity can be estimated by comparing observational data and the outputs of a well-developed high-resolution regional climate model. Such an estimate is possible because the observations include the effects of UHI, whereas the model used does not include urban effects. Therefore, the errors in the simulated surface air temperature, defined as the difference between simulated and observed temperatures (simulated minus observed), are negative in urban areas but 0 in rural areas. UHI intensity is estimated by calculating the difference in temperature error between urban and rural areas. Our results indicate that overall UHI intensity in Japan is 1.5 K and that the intensity is greater in nighttime than in daytime, consistent with the previous studies. This study also shows that root mean square error and the magnitude of systematic error for the annual mean temperature are small (within 1.0 K).     

Characterization and estimation of urban heat island at Toronto: impact of the choice of rural sites

In this study, the urban heat island of Toronto was characterized and estimated in order to examine the impact of the selection of rural sites on the estimation of urban heat island (UHI) intensity (?T _u-r). Three rural stations, King Smoke Tree (KST), Albion Hill, and Millgrove, were used for the analysis of UHI intensity for two urban stations, Toronto downtown (Toronto) and Toronto Pearson (Pearson) using data from 1970 to 2000. The UHI intensity was characterized as winter dominating and summer dominating, depending on the choice of the rural station. The analyses of annual and seasonal trends of ?T _u-r suggested that urban heat island clearly appears in winter at both Toronto and Pearson. However, due to the mitigating effect on temperature from Lake Ontario, the estimated trend of UHI intensity was found to be less at Toronto compared to that at Pearson which has no direct lake effect. In terms of the impacts of the rural stations, for both KST and Millgrove, the trends in UHI intensity were found to be statistically significant and also were in good agreement with the estimates of UHI intensities reported for other large cities in the USA. Depending on the choice of the rural station, the estimated trend for the UHI intensity at Toronto ranges from 0.01°C/decade to 0.02°C/decade, and that at Pearson ranges from 0.03°C/decade to 0.035°C/decade during 1970–2000. From the analysis of the seasonal distribution of ?T _u-r, the UHI intensity was found to be higher at Toronto in winter than that at Pearson for all three rural stations. This was likely accounted for by the lower amount of anthropogenic heat flux at Pearson. Considering the results from the statistical analysis with respect to the geographic and surface features for each rural station, KST was suggested to be a better choice to estimate UHI intensity at Toronto compared to the other rural stations. The analysis from the current study suggests that the selection of a unique urban–rural pair to estimate UHI intensity for a city like Toronto is a critical task, as it will be for any city, and it is imperative to consider some key features such as the physiography, surface characteristics of the urban and rural stations, the climatology such as the trends in annual and seasonal variation of UHI with respect to the physical characteristics of the stations, and also more importantly the objectives of a particular study in the context of UHI effect.     

The extent and intensity of the urban heat island in Iași city,Romania

The study underlines the characteristics of the urban heat island of Ia?i (Ia?i’s UHI) on the basis of 3 years of air temperature measurements obtained by fixed-point observations. We focus on the identification of UHI development and intensity as it is expressed by the temperature differences between the city centre and the rural surroundings. Annual, seasonal and daily characteristics of Ia?i’s UHI are investigated at the level of the classical weather observation. In brief, an intensity of 0.8 °C of UHI and a spatial extension which corresponds to the densely built area of the city were delineated. The Ia?i UHI is stronger during summer calm nights—when the inner city is warmer with 2.5–3 °C than the surroundings—and is weaker during windy spring days. The specific features of Ia?i’s UHI bear a profound connection to the specificity of the urban structure, the high atmospheric stability in the region and the local topography. Also, the effects of Ia?i’s UHI upon some environmental aspects are presented as study cases. For instance, under the direct influence of UHI, we have observed that in the city centre, the apricot tree blossoms earlier (with up to 4 days) and the depth of the snow cover is significantly lower (with up to 10 cm for a rural snow depth of 30 cm) than in the surrounding areas.     

城市化对长沙市两气象站气温记录的影响

为深入认识城市对其附近气象站气温的影响,采用位于长沙市区东部和西部两个气象观测站的2007-2009年的逐日气温、风向和风速资料,结合地表覆盖特征数据,对比分析了两站气象记录差异,并通过改进的城市影响指数模型估算了气温资料中的城市影响偏差。分析显示：（1）2007-2009年东、西气象站逐月平均气温（T_mean）、最高气温（T_max）和最低气温（T_min）差异很大,最大差异分别可达0.90℃、0.83℃和1.34℃;（2）受城市及风向的影响,两气象站的逐月城市影响指数（K）差异较大,东、西站平均K值分别为2.01和1.50,年内同一台站的K值存在季节变化规律;（3）两站逐月△K与△T之间存在极显著正相关关系;（4）东、西两站2007年T_mean中的城市增温最大,分别达0.63℃和0.45℃。城市附近气象站气温记录受城市规模、风向和风速等因素影响明显,在分析长历时气候变化特征和利用站点记录数据进行空间分析时,有必要对气温数据进行订正。     

Statistical and dynamical characteristics of the urban heat island intensity in Seoul

The statistical and dynamical characteristics of the urban heat island (UHI) intensity in Seoul are investigated for non-precipitation days and precipitation days using 4-year surface meteorological data with 1-h time intervals. Furthermore, the quantitative influence of synoptic pressure pattern on the UHI intensity is examined using a synoptic condition clustering method. The statistical analysis shows that the daily maximum UHI intensity in Seoul for non-precipitation days is strongest in autumn (4.8°C) and weakest in summer (3.5°C). The daily maximum UHI intensity is observed around midnight in all seasons except in winter when the maximum occurrence frequency is found around 08 LST. This implies that anthropogenic heating contributes to the UHI in the cold season. The occurrence frequency of the UHI intensity has a negatively skewed distribution for non-precipitation days but a positively skewed distribution for precipitation days. The amplitude of the heating/cooling rate and the difference in the heating/cooling rate between the urban and rural areas are smaller in all seasons for precipitation days than for non-precipitation days, resulting in weaker UHI intensities for precipitation days. The urban cool island occurs very often in the daytime, with an occurrence frequency being 77% of the total non-precipitation days in spring. The analysis of the impact of large-scale dynamical forcing shows that the daily maximum UHI intensity varies with synoptic pressure pattern, ranging from ?22% in spring to 28% in summer relative to the seasonal mean daily maximum UHI intensity. Comparison of the UHI intensity calculated using station-averaged temperatures to that based on the conventional two-station approach indicates that local effects on the UHI intensity are minimized by using multiple-station data. Accordingly, an estimation of the UHI intensity using station-averaged temperatures for both urban and rural areas is suggested.     

2003-2006年南宁市热岛强度变化特征

分析了2003-2006年南宁市区和郊区的10个自动气象观测站气象资料,结果表明,南宁市区的热岛强度（UHI）具有明显的日、月和季节变化。一般来说,南宁市UHI夜间＞UHI白天;UHI干季（9月至翌年1月）＞UHI雨季（2-8月）;UHI秋季＞UHI夏季。用不同的温度指标计算出的UHI略有不同：UHI最低气温为1.43℃、UHI平均气温为0.94℃、UHI最高气温为0.28℃。利用灰色关联度分析法分析了影响南宁城市热岛效应的主要气象因子,发现在风速小、相对湿度小的时候热岛效应强。     

Effects of the large-scale atmospheric circulation on the onset and strength of urban heat islands: a case study

Air temperature was monitored at 13 sites across the urban perimeter of a Brazilian midsize city in winter 2011. In this study, we show that the urban heat island (UHI) develops only at night and under certain weather conditions, and its intensity depends not only on the site's land cover but also on the meteorological setting. The urban heat island intensity was largest (6.6 °C) under lingering high-pressure conditions, milder (3.0 °C) under cold anticyclones and almost vanished (1.0 °C) during the passage of cold fronts. The cooling rates were calculated to monitor the growth and decay of the UHI over each specific synoptic setting. Over four contiguous days under the effect of a lingering high-pressure event, we observed that the onset of cooling was always at about 2 h before sunset. The reference site attained mean cooling rate of ?2.6 °C h^?1 at sunset, whilst the maximum urban rate was ?1.2 °C h^?1. Under a 3-day cold anticyclone episode, cooling also started about 2 h before sunset, and the difference between maximum rural (?2.0 °C h^?1) and urban (?1.0 °C h^?1) cooling rates diminished. Under cold-front conditions, the cooling rate was homogeneous for all sites and swang about zero throughout the day. The air temperature has a memory effect under lingering high-pressure conditions which intensified the UHI, in addition to the larger heat storage in the urban area. Cold anticyclone conditions promoted the development of the UHI; however, the cold air pool and relatively light winds smoothed out its intensity. Under the influence of cold fronts, the urban fabric had little effect on the city's air temperature field, and the UHI was imperceptible.     

Desert heat island study in winter by mobile transect and remote sensing techniques

A familiar problem in urban environments is the urban heat island (UHI), which potentially increases air conditioning demands, raise pollution levels, and could modify precipitation patterns. The magnitude and pattern of UHI effects have been major concerns of a lot of urban environment studies. Typically, research on UHI magnitudes in arid regions (such as Phoenix, AZ, USA) focuses on summer. UHI magnitudes in Phoenix (more than three million population) attain values in excess of 5°C. This study investigated the early winter period—a time when summer potential evapotranspiration >250 mm has diminished to <90 mm. An analysis of the winter magnitude of the heat island in Phoenix has been studied very little, and therefore with the aid of automobile transects, fixed stations, and remote sensing techniques, we investigated a portion of the large Phoenix metropolitan area known as the East Valley. The eastern fringes of the metropolitan area abut against breaks in sloping terrain. The highest UHI intensity observed was >8.0°C, comparable to summertime UHI conditions. Through analysis of the Oke (1998) weather factor Φ_W, it was determined thermally induced nighttime cool drainage winds could account for inflating the UHI magnitude in winter.     

The Urban Heat Island Intensity of Paris: A Case Study Based on a Simple Urban Surface Parametrization

We explore the ability of a simple urban surface parametrization, embedded in a mesoscale meteorological model, to correctly reproduce observed values of the urban heat island (UHI) intensity, which is defined as the urban-rural surface air temperature difference. To do so, a simple urban scheme was incorporated into the Advanced Regional Prediction System (ARPS). Subsequently, a simulation was performed with the coupled model over the wider area of Paris, for a 12-day period in June 2006 that was characterised by conditions prone to UHI development. Simulated 2-m air temperature was compared with observed values for urban and rural stations, yielding mean errors of 1.4 and 1.5 K, respectively. More importantly, it was found that the model also displayed an overall good capability of reproducing the observed temperature differences. In particular, the magnitude (up to 6 K) and timing of the diurnal cycle of the UHI intensity was simulated well, the model exhibiting a mean error of 1.15 K. As a result, our conclusion is that the ARPS model, extended with simple urban surface physics, is able to capture observed urban-rural air temperature differences well, at least for the domain and period studied.     

阳泉市城市热岛效应特征分析

利用阳泉市3个国家级气象站资料分析了阳泉市城市热岛效应的年际变化、季节变化、月变化和日变化特征,结果表明：阳泉市存在弱的城市热岛效应,1972年-2011年平均热岛强度0．554℃。阳泉市热岛强度冬、秋季强,春、夏季弱;12月最强,5月最弱;阳泉市热岛强度整体呈显著上升趋势,热岛强度的增加主要是由于夏季热岛强度的增强。热岛强度日变化表现为12时最小,从傍晚开始随降温逐渐增大,到早晨气温降到最低时最大,日出之后迅速减小;2008年-2011年最强热岛强度出现在2010年1月14日08时达7．9℃。阳泉市主要城市发展因子与霾日数、气温呈显著正相关,在目前的经济发展水平条件下,城市化发展可能使阳泉城市温度增高,城市绿地面积的增加可能对热岛效应有缓解。     

北京夏季强热岛分析及数值模拟研究

应用北京地区20个常规地面气象站、2个自动气象站和中国科学院大气物理研究所325m气象铁塔的资料，对北京2003年7月热岛状况进行了统计分析，发现北京夏季夜间存在强热岛效应，夏季夜间存在强热岛效应的天数占到了1/3，强弱热岛天数合计占到了大约4/5。进一步分析7月1日强热岛特征及其气象影响因子，结果表明：夜间存在强热岛时，郊区所有测站的地面气温都要低于主城区地面气温，城市强热岛的高温中心在天安门和白家庄连线的主城区；白天日照充足的晴夜，日落后城区320m以下低层大气存在逆温和弱的风速，城区地面气温下降速率和幅度均远小于郊区，城市强热岛因此得以形成和维持。日出后至正午，北京北部郊区日照时间比城区长，郊区地面大气得到来自太阳辐射的能量多于城区，而太阳辐射的加热作用使城区低层大气逆温消失，大气稳定度减弱，并使郊区地面气温上升速率和幅度大于城区，最终导致夜间出现的强热岛减弱、消失。此外，应用MM5模式对强热岛进行了初步数值模拟研究，发现在MM5中考虑城市人为热和热储存，可以改善模式对热岛的数值模拟，表明城市人为热和热储存在夏季强热岛的形成中有重要作用。     

Basic analysis of climate and urban bioclimate of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

Better understanding of urban microclimate and bioclimate of any city is imperative today when the world is constrained by both urbanisation and global climate change. Urbanisation generally triggers changes in land cover and hence influencing the urban local climate. Dar es Salaam city in Tanzania is one of the fast growing cities. Assessment of its urban climate and the human biometeorological conditions was done using the easily available synoptic meteorological data covering the period 2001–2011. In particular, the physiologically equivalent temperature (PET) was calculated using the RayMan software and results reveal that the afternoon period from December to February (DJF season) is relatively the most thermal stressful period to human beings in Dar es Salaam where PET values of above 35 °C were found. Additionally, the diurnal cycle of the individual meteorological elements that influence the PET index were analysed and found that air temperature of 30–35 °C dominate the afternoon period from 12:00 to 15:00 hours local standard time at about 60 % of occurrence. The current results, though considered as preliminary to the ongoing urban climate study in the city, provide an insight on how urban climate research is of significant importance in providing useful climatic information for ensuring quality of life and wellbeing of city dwellers.     

Assessment of surface air warming in northeast China, with emphasis on the impacts of urbanization

Based on homogenized land surface air temperature (SAT) data (derived from China Homogenized Historical Temperature (CHHT) 1.0), the warming trends over Northeast China are detected in this paper, and the impacts of urban heat islands (UHIs) evaluated. Results show that this region is undergoing rapid warming: the trends of annual mean minimum temperature (MMIT), mean temperature (MT), and mean maximum temperature (MMAT) are 0.40 C decade^?1, 0.32 C decade^?1, and 0.23 C decade^?1, respectively. Regional average temperature series built with these networks including and excluding “typical urban stations” are compared for the periods of 1954–2005. Although impacts of UHIs on the absolute annual and seasonal temperature are identified, UHI contributions to the long-term trends are less than 10% of the regional total warming during the period. The large warming trend during the period is due to a regime shift in around 1988, which accounted for about 51% of the regional warming.     

拉萨市城市热岛效应分析研究

利用拉萨、墨竹工卡、尼木建站以来的多年历史资料和近两年新建的区域自动站、8个城市热岛效应自动气象站资料分析拉萨城市热岛强度日、季、年变化,时空分布及其可能的影响因子。分析表明:拉萨城市热岛强度呈显著的逐年增强趋势,在1978~2011年间平均每10年增加0.24℃;多年热岛强度冬季最强(2.0℃),其次是春季(1.8℃)和秋季(1.7℃),夏季强度最小(1.6℃);拉萨城市高温中心主要在城市中心,气温分布沿着高值区向两侧呈递减状态,郊外的气温比城区平均低0.9℃左右,夜间热岛效应强度明显高于白天。随着城市化进程的不断增强,大量改变的下垫面状况,不断增多的城市建筑群,骤增的人类活动和能源消耗,导致城市热岛强度不断增强。      

Temporal characteristics of the Beijing urban heat island

Summary This paper describes the inter-annual trend, and the seasonal and hourly variation of the near surface urban heat island (UHI) in Beijing. The surface air temperature data (mean, maximum, and minimum) from one urban (downtown Beijing) and one rural (70 km from downtown Beijing) station were used for the period 1977 and 2000. It is found that the temperatures in both urban and rural stations show an increasing tendency. Specifically, minimum temperature shows the greatest tendency at the urban station whereas maximum temperature shows the greatest increase at the rural station. The UHI intensity obtained by calculating the difference in temperatures between the two stations identifies that the intensity is greatest and has the greatest increasing trend for minimum temperature, while the UHI intensity of maximum temperature shows a slow decrease over time. UHI intensity for minimum temperature has a strong positive correlation with the increase in the urban population and the expansion of the yearly construction area. Seasonal analyses showed the UHI intensity is strongest in winter. This seasonal UHI variation tends to be negatively correlated with the seasonal variation of relative humidity and vapor pressure. Hourly variation reveals that the strongest UHI intensity is observed in the late nighttime or evening, while the weakest is observed during the day.     

The influence of atmospheric circulation on the intensity of urban heat island and urban cold island in Poznań, Poland

The study has analyzed influence of an atmospheric circulation on urban heat island (UHI) and urban cold island (UCI) in Poznań. Analysis was conducted on the basis of temperature data from two measurement points situated in the city center and in the ?awica airport (reference station) and the data concerning the air circulation (Nied?wied?’s calendar of circulation types and reanalysis of National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP)/National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR)). The cases with UHI constitute about 85 % of all data, and UCI phenomena appear with a frequency of 14 % a year. The intensity of UHI phenomenon is higher in the anticyclonic circulation types. During the year in anticyclonic circulation, intensity of UHI is 1.2 °C on average while in cyclonic is only 0.8 °C. The occurring of UHI phenomena is possible throughout all seasons of the year in all hours of the day usually in anticyclonic circulation types. The cases with highest UHI intensity are related mostly to nighttime. The cases of UCI phenomena occurred almost ever on the daytime and the most frequently in colder part of the year together with cyclonic circulation. Study based on reanalysis data indicates that days with large intensity of UHI (above 4, 5, and 6 °C) are related to anticyclonic circulation. Anticyclonic circulation is also promoting the formation of the strongest UCI. Results based on both reanalysis and the atmospheric circulation data (Nied?wied?’s circulation type) confirm that cases with the strongest UHI and UCI during the same day occur in strong high-pressure system with the center situated above Poland or central Europe.     

山西省阳泉市城市热岛效应特征分析

利用1972－2011年阳泉市3个国家级气象站资料、2011年36个乡镇区域自动站气温资料,分析了阳泉市城市热岛效应的年际变化、季节变化、月变化和日变化特征。结果表明：阳泉市存在弱的城市热岛效应,1972－2011年平均热岛强度0.554 ℃。阳泉市城市热岛强度整体呈显著上升趋势,热岛强度的增加主要是由于夏季热岛强度的增强;热岛强度冬、秋季强,春、夏季弱;12月最强,5月最弱;热岛强度日变化表现为12时最小,从傍晚开始随降温逐渐增大,到早晨气温降到最低时最大,日出之后迅速减小;2008－2011年最强热岛强度出现在2010年1月14日08时,达7.9 ℃。阳泉在升温天气热岛强度变幅增大,易在早晨形成较强城市热岛,下午形成城市冷岛;降温天气热岛强度变幅减小;温度变化较小时则易维持弱的城市热岛。阳泉市主要城市发展因子与霾日数、气温呈显著正相关,在目前的经济发展水平条件下,阳泉市城市化发展可能使城市温度增高,城市绿地面积的增加可能对热岛效应有缓解作用。