GEO 131 Lecture Notes - Lecture 10: Urban Heat Island, Smog, Microclimate
12 Jan 2017
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Document Summary
Local zone where the climate differs from the surrounding area bc of local factors. Sun goes south of us from east to west so south facing slope is going to be warmer. Urban enviro have low albedo; doesn"t reflect much light, absorbs more light. Absorbs short wave radiation --> heat --> long wave radiation. A climactic condition where temperatures within urban areas are considerably higher than temperatures found in the surrounding rural areas. They form as cities replace natural land cover w/ pavement, buildings and other infrastructure. These changes contribute to higher urban t"s in a number of ways. Absorption of incoming solar radiation by unnatural surface materials, such as asphalt and rooftops. Urban enviro, instead, has surfaces that absorbs and stores heat. Heat released into the urban atmosphere by city processes. Thermal profile: red and yellow = high, blue and green = cool. Toronto"s downtown core not as hot as upper area due to the lake moderation effect.
