Group Ra

Urban Heat Island Blancaflor, John Michael

Phenomenon Desquitado, Abigail Jairah

Tan, Matthew Clement
http://www.crm-daily.com/images/super/larger-12-GW-heatwave-city1.jpg
Regional Climate (Macroclimate) describes
the generic climatic conditions of the
locality.

A Microclimate is the climate of a small area

that is different from the area around it.

Humans are changing climatic systems by

1. Changing land cover
2. Releasing Pollutants
3. Releasing Greenhouse Gases

Rapid Urbanization and Industrialization have

brought about microclimatic change (thermal
structure)
SO WHAT IS URBAN HEAT ISLAND
PHENOMENON ANYWAY?
 Definition
an urban area or metropolitan area that is
significantly warmer, often a few degrees
higher, than its surrounding rural areas due
to human activities.
As the name implies, the effect makes
cities into islands of heat.
Sketch of an Urban Island Heat Profile
 Daily Temperature Behavior

The temperature difference

usually is larger at night than
during the day, and is most
apparent when winds are
weak.
WHAT ARE THE MAJOR CAUSES
OF UHI PHENOMENON?
Properties of Urbans Building Materials

Urban construction materials have Concrete, Asphalt and other man-made surface
different thermal (heat capacity and absorbs short-wave radiations and release during
thermal conductivity) night
 Albedo
The rate at which an object can reflect
solar radiation.
The color of an object depends on what
kind of light it reflects, lighter colors reflect
most of the light and darker colored
objects are excellent absorbers of light
The bigger the albedo something has, the better
it reflects radiation. Traditional asphalt has a low
albedo, which means it reflects radiation poorly
and instead absorbs it.
The absorbed light converts into thermal energy
and emits back out heat.
 Lack of Vegetation
Lack of evapotranspiration High level of pollution Increases co2 concentration
Loss of shade and cooling Retaining of pollutants
effects change radiative
properties of atmosphere
Urban Canyon Effect
Similar to a natural canyon. Blockage of wind movement and the
The tall buildings within many urban areas stagnation of air below
provide multiple surfaces for the reflection and
absorption of sunlight, increasing the efficiency Multiple reflection increases temperature
with which urban areas are heated.
Waste Heat
Cars, air conditioners/refrigerants and other
industrial machines and buildings are
ubiquitous in urban areas, convert energy
to heat and release this heat into the air.
High levels of pollution in urban areas can
also increase the UHI, as many forms of
pollution change the radiative properties of
the atmosphere.
WHAT ARE THE IMPACTS OF UHI
PHENOMENON?
 Increasing peak energy demand
Air conditioning costs
Air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.
Water quality and air quality.
Heat-related illness and mortality
Urban Heat Island Phenomenon can affect both
animals and us, humans.
It can increase duration of heat waves.
Heat stroke, heat exhaustion, heat cramps,
depression, dementia, Parkinsons disease.
Mortality rate hikes.
HOW TO MITIGATE THE UHI PHENOMENON?
 Certain techniques reduce the demand for air
conditioning and reduce energy bills.

Because the dark surfaces and low albedo of

urban structures heat the area, the logical solution
would be to reverse this trend. Urban planners
may do this by painting structures white, or other
light colors.

Low-reflectivity coating offers an alternative and

comes in non-white colors. These kinds of coatings
reflect invisible radiation without reflecting all light.
 Certain high-reflectivity coatings can also be
applied to asphalt.

The installation of green roofs atop city buildings.

Roof sprinkling is another evaporative cooling

solution. Sprinklers on the roof wet the surface so
that the air around it cools through evaporation.

Urban planners also set up traditional parking lots

along lots where trees and vegetation grow.
 Green building promotion

Government initiatives, policies, measures,

strategies
REFERENCES
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Bloomfield, Louis A. How Things Work: The Physics of Everyday Life. 2nd Ed. John Wiley & Sons, Inc, New York: 2001.
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