Background Of Urban Heat Island Phenomenon

 Study preview (from the introduction).

In the second half of XXth century urbanization reached significant level and because of this half of world population is under negative influence of urban environment, such as: pollution, noise, stress as a consequence of life style, modified parameters of urban climate, etc. (Unger et al, 2011a). As urban areas develop, artificial objects replace open land and vegetation. Among the parameters of the urban atmosphere the near-surface (1.5-2 metres above ground level or screen-height) air temperature shows the most obvious modification compared to the rural area (Oke, 1987). This urban warming is commonly referred to as the urban heat island1(UHI) and its magnitude is the UHI intensity (#Tu-r). This is a phenomenon where urban regions experience warmer temperatures than their rural surroundings. They are called urban heat islands because the warmer air in the city is surrounded with colder air (similar to island surrounded with water). The annual mean air temperature of a city with one million or more people can be 1 to 3°C warmer than its surroundings (Oke, 1997) and on a clear, calm night, this temperature difference can be as much as 12°C (Oke, 1987).

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