Urban heat island: Difference between revisions
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An '''urban heat island''' (UHI) is a built up area that is hotter than nearby rural areas. The annual mean air temperature of a city with 1 million people or more can be 1–3°C warmer than its surroundings.<ref>[[ | An '''urban heat island''' (UHI) is a built up area that is hotter than nearby rural areas. The annual mean air temperature of a city with 1 million people or more can be 1–3°C warmer than its surroundings.<ref>[[U.S. Environmental Protection Agency]], [http://www.epa.gov/heatisland/index.htm Heat Island Effect]</ref> | ||
The temperature in [[Atlanta]] is 5 to 8 degrees Fahrenheit higher than outlying areas, and this excess heat produces increased rainfall and thunderstorms.<ref>NASA, [http://science.nasa.gov/newhome/headlines/essd26apr99_1.htm Welcome to the Thunder Dome: Atlanta's Urban Heat Alters Weather Patterns], 1999</ref> | The temperature in [[Atlanta]] is 5 to 8 degrees Fahrenheit higher than outlying areas, and this excess heat produces increased rainfall and thunderstorms.<ref>NASA, [http://science.nasa.gov/newhome/headlines/essd26apr99_1.htm Welcome to the Thunder Dome: Atlanta's Urban Heat Alters Weather Patterns], 1999</ref> | ||
Revision as of 19:09, 9 April 2009
An urban heat island (UHI) is a built up area that is hotter than nearby rural areas. The annual mean air temperature of a city with 1 million people or more can be 1–3°C warmer than its surroundings.[1]
The temperature in Atlanta is 5 to 8 degrees Fahrenheit higher than outlying areas, and this excess heat produces increased rainfall and thunderstorms.[2]
This temperature gradient can gradually increase; for example, from 1945 to 1990 San Antonio has apparently gotten 3°C warmer than nearby New Braunfels. [3]
References
- ↑ U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Heat Island Effect
- ↑ NASA, Welcome to the Thunder Dome: Atlanta's Urban Heat Alters Weather Patterns, 1999
- ↑ Daniel Boyce, The heat is on..., Southwest Research Institute.