Abstract
Nonlinear two-dimensional calculations have been carried out to estimate the temperature and velocity changes induced in air flowing over an urban heat island. Of particular interest is the destruction of a nocturnal inversion and the crossover to cooler temperatures aloft. Initial calculations for constant eddy diffusivity and constant rural velocity show good agreement with a linearized solution. Qualitatively similar results are obtained when appropriate vertical profiles are introduced for the eddy diffusivity and rural velocity. In these cases heating produces sufficient lifting of the air in the stable atmosphere that noticeable temperature crossover occurs. Additional calculations for the case in which the eddy diffusivity increases over the heat island yield greatly reduced vertical velocities; however, even greater temperature crossover can occur from the interaction of the diffusivity changes and the nocturnal inversion.
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Lee, R.L., Olfe, D.B. Numerical calculations of temperature profiles over an urban heat island. Boundary-Layer Meteorol 7, 39–52 (1974). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00224971
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00224971