Resolving the influence of local flows on urban heat amplification during heatwaves
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 15548988 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Annette L Hirsch (0000-0002-5811-2465, UNSW Sydney, corresponding author), Jason P Evans (0000-0003-1776-3429, UNSW Sydney), Christopher Thomas (0000-0002-0346-2417), Christopher J Thomas (0000-0002-5898-9355, UNSW Sydney), Brooke Conroy (0000-0001-5907-8265, University of Wollongong), Melissa Hart (0000-0002-3097-0556), Melissa A Hart (0000-0002-3512-8843, ARC Centre of Excellence for Climate System Science), Mathew Lipson (0000-0001-5322-1796, UNSW Sydney), William Ertler (Australian National University) |
| Year | 2021 |
| Volume | 16 |
| Issue | 6 |
| Pages | 064066-064066 |
| Publication date | 2021-05-20 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Environmental Research Letters (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1748-9326 • E-ISSN: 1748-9326 |
| Publisher | IOP Publishing (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1088/1748-9326/ac0377 |
| OpenAlex | W3165702827 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 7 |
| References cited | 32 |
Heatwaves have implications for human health and ecosystem function. Over cities, the impacts of a heatwave event may be compounded by urban heat, where temperatures over the urban area are higher than their rural surroundings. Coastal cities often rely upon sea breezes to provide temporary relief. However, topographic features contributing to the development of Foehn-like conditions can offset the cooling influence of sea breezes. Using convection-permitting simulations (⩽4 km) we examine the potential for both mechanisms to influence heatwave conditions over the large coastal city of Sydney, Australia that is bordered by mountains. Heatwave onset in the hot period of January–February 2017 often coincides with a hot continental flow over the mountains into the city. The temperature difference between the coast and the urban–rural interface can reach 15.79 °C. Further, the urban heat island contributes on average an additional 1 °C in the lowest 1 km of the atmosphere and this often extends beyond the city limits. The cumulative heat induced by the urban environment reaches 10 °C over the city and 3 °C over adjacent inland areas. Strong sea breezes are important for heat dispersion with city temperature gradients reducing to within 1 °C. The resolution permits a comparison between urban types and reveals that the diurnal cycle of temperature, moisture content and wind are sensitive to the urban type. Here we show that convection permitting simulations can resolve the interaction between local breezes and the urban environment that are not currently resolved in coarser resolution models
Atmospheric sciences · Biodiversity · Climatology · Convection · Diurnal cycle · Geography · Homogenization (climate · Meteorology · Sea breeze · Urban area · Urban climate · Urban heat island · Urban planning · Climate Change and Health Impacts · Environmental Science · Urban Green Space and Health · Urban Heat Island Mitigation · Geology
A global map of local climate zones to support earth system modelling and urban-scale environmental science
Highly inhomogeneous interactions between background climate and urban warming across typical local climate zones in heatwave and non-heatwave days
Urban meteorology and air quality in a rapidly growing city
Effects of urban form on sea cooling capacity under the heatwave
Asymmetric influence of urban morphology changes on land surface temperature between daytime and nighttime
How complex terrains reshape urban wind patterns and cooling effects
Global investigation of 2D and 3D urbanization-induced impacts on urban extreme heat
| Citations per year | 1.75 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2022 - 2026 (5) |
| Highly cited | No |