Abstract
An urban heat island (UHI) is a climate phenomenon that results in an increased air temperature in cities when compared to their rural surroundings. In this Letter, the dependence of an UHI on urban geometry is studied. Multiyear urban-rural temperature differences and building footprints data combined with a heat radiation scaling model are used to demonstrate for more than 50 cities worldwide that city texture—measured by a building distribution function and the sky view factor—explains city-to-city variations in nocturnal UHIs. Our results show a strong correlation between nocturnal UHIs and the city texture.
- Received 1 May 2017
- Revised 19 December 2017
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.120.108701
© 2018 American Physical Society
Physics Subject Headings (PhySH)
Focus
City Structure Influences Nighttime Temperatures
Published 9 March 2018
Mathematical analysis of the two-dimensional layout of a city reveals much about its three-dimensional structure and provides useful measures of the urban heat island effect.
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