Urban Heat Island

1. Urban Heat Island

2. What is Urban Heat Island Effect? ThinkingDevelopment 1. Natural land covered to make a city -Pavement & structures -High temperatures -Decreased evaporation -More energy for cooling 2. Varies, based on city structure -Some have more parks -Others, more commercial areas -An example – London, England 3. Play a role in global warming -Air conditioners & refrigeration -Heat-trapping greenhouse gases 4. Developers can build things differently -Lower buildings -Light reflective surfaces • Heat islands are created when natural land is covered with pavement, buildings and other structures to make a city. • These changes create high temperatures for various reasons. • Another reason why big cities and towns are usually warmer than outlying areas is due to decreased amounts of evaporation. • It also requires more energy to be used for cooling purposes, such as fans and air conditioners. • Pavement & structures • High temperatures • Decreased evaporation • More energy for cooling Natural land covered to make a city Fact: Another problem is buildings and roads, which act like giant storage heaters.

3. What is Urban Heat Island Effect? ThinkingDevelopment 1. Natural land covered to make a city -Pavement & structures -High temperatures -Decreased evaporation -More energy for cooling 2. Varies, based on city structure -Some have more parks -Others, more commercial areas -An example – London, England 3. Play a role in global warming -Air conditioners & refrigeration -Heat-trapping greenhouse gases 4. Developers can build things differently -Lower buildings -Light reflective surfaces • For instance, some cities have more parks and greenbelts which reduce temperatures. • Other cities have more commercial areas, business districts, and suburban areas, which raise temperatures. • For example, there is a huge difference in temperature between the city of London, England and its surrounding areas. On some days, there has been known to be an increase of about ten degrees in the city. • Some have more parks • Others, more commercial areas • An example – London, England Varies, based on city structure Fact: Some ways to cut down the rising temperatures and increasing pollution levels is to make parks and gardens bigger, plant more trees and create larger lakes.

4. What is Urban Heat Island Effect? ThinkingDevelopment 1. Natural land covered to make a city -Pavement & structures -High temperatures -Decreased evaporation -More energy for cooling 2. Varies, based on city structure -Some have more parks -Others, more commercial areas -An example – London, England 3. Play a role in global warming -Air conditioners & refrigeration -Heat-trapping greenhouse gases 4. Developers can build things differently -Lower buildings -Light reflective surfaces • It is suggested that urban heat islands can contribute to global warming due to the increased use of air conditioning and refrigeration needed to cool indoor spaces during rises in temperature. • This results in more heat-trapping greenhouse gases that cause global warming. • Air conditioners & refrigeration • Heat-trapping greenhouse gases Play a role in global warming

5. What is Urban Heat Island Effect? ThinkingDevelopment 1. Natural land covered to make a city -Pavement & structures -High temperatures -Decreased evaporation -More energy for cooling 2. Varies, based on city structure -Some have more parks -Others, more commercial areas -An example – London, England 3. Play a role in global warming -Air conditioners & refrigeration -Heat-trapping greenhouse gases 4. Developers can build things differently -Lower buildings -Light reflective surfaces • People also hope that developers will build lower buildings and not build on open spaces. • Temperatures can be lowered by switching dark surfaces to light reflective ones. • Lower buildings • Light reflective surfaces Developers can build things differently Fact: By switching to light colored roofs, buildings can use up to forty percent less energy.