An Urban Heat Island (UHI) is a metropolitan area that is significantly warmer than the surrounding rural areas. This affect is severely increasing due to global warming. If this continues into the future, urbanization in accompaniment with climate change have the potential to raise the temperature so significantly that it compromises plant/animal/environmental health, human health, energy resources, and our economy. In addition, Urban Heat Islands (UHI) decrease the air quality by increasing the production of ozone and other pollutants. Urban Heat Islands also decrease water quality and putt pressure on the ecosystem. Furthermore, they are a significant contribute to heat waves and put pressure on the electric grid due to increased use of air conditioning. Finally, they put huge pressures on animals because some cannot adapt to warmer climates like fish which can experience thermal pollution (20-30 degree warmer than regular conditions)and die of shock.Summer's have been getting warmer in cities at a higher rate than the surrounding rural areas since 1970 which is can be due to UHI. For instance New York City can be up to 20 degrees Fahrenheit higher than nearby rural areas and on average 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit warmer in the summer than rural areas. (Washington DC's average is a whopping 4.7 degree average over the past 10 years). The main factor that contributes to UHI is the use of materials that effectively store short wave radiation. Thus, preventing or helping eliminate UHI can be achieved by having green roofs and using reflective surfaces in construction/roads like painting the streets white to reflect heat back instead of absorbing it.
*This website compares the temperature in cities to rural areas
No comments:
Post a Comment