Urban Heat Island The Role of Thermal Inertia

Urban Heat Island The Role of Thermal Inertia http: //pdphoto. org/Picture. Detail. php? pg=7954&mat=pdef

What Is “Urban Heat Island”? http: //eetd. lbl. gov/Heat. Island/High. Temps/

Important Factors Albedo • Tells us lighter objects reflect more incoming radiation than darker objects (from Christopherson, 2004) Moisture and Vegetation • Parks and agricultural fields reduce urban heat island through evaporative cooling

Some More Terms: 1) Thermal Inertia – The potential of a material to absorb and store heat 2) Oasis Effect – Where cities can be cooler during the day than the surrounding countryside 3) Remote Sensing – Involves the acquisition of earth surface characteristics using a remote device

Thermal Inertia Oasis Effect Heat Island Rural Urban

What Do You Think Will Be Hotter, the Sand or the Concrete? Infrared Thermometer (Our Remote Sensor)

An Example Beyond Urban Heat Island: Using Thermal Inertia to Better Understand Mars (Images Courtesy of NASA) Warm Cool Warm “Day” “Night”

Charlie’s Angels and Thermal Inertia Cool Warm “Day” “Night”

Nighttime Phoenix A_____ 10: 39 pm 10/3/03 B_____ Analysis: Use your knowledge of greater Phoenix and urban heat island to decipher what each of these letters are referring to. C_____ D_____ (http: //elwood. la. asu. edu/grsl/UEM/)

How Does Phoenix Compare? (image courtesy of NASA)

What kinds of problems might stem from urban heat island, if any?

Things to know: • What is Urban Heat Island? • How does albedo, moisture, and vegetation play • a role in urban heat island? Understand describe Thermal Inertia, Oasis Effect, and Remote Sensing and how they relate to urban heat island. Help: Chapter AT