Urban Heat Island Effect Guided Viewing

1.) What is the difference between regional climate and microclimate? Regional climate is the general climatic conditions of the locality that plants and animals inhabit, but it does not describe the actual climate in which they live. Microclimate is the actual climate in that small area. It may be different from the areas that surrounds it 2.) Why is vegetation important in climate? It can alter wind movement, evaporation, moisture, and soil temperatures, and it also influences the microclimate of an area, especially near the ground. 3.) What are impervious surfaces? How can impervious surface affect local climates? Impervious surface is a hard surface area that either prevents or retards the entry of water into the soil mantle. It can affect local streams, both in water quality and stream flow and flooding characteristics. It can also affect the temperature of the region. 4.) What is an urban environment? Lands that is occupied by buildings and other structures used for residences and institutional and industrial sites. 5.) What is a suburban environment? Those areas are located on the outskirts of cities. 6.) What is a rural environment? These are areas with large amounts of land with significantly lower populations than urban or suburban areas. 7.) What is an urban heat island? Explain. Landscapes in urban areas have been altered many times; therefore the surfaces that used to be permeable and moist turn into impermeable and dry surfaces. This cause urban regions to have warmer temperatures than their rural surroundings, which forms an island of higher temperatures in the landscape. 8.) Why do we care about urban heat islands? What do they do to urban environments? It can affect communities by increasing summertime peak energy demand, air conditioning coasts, air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, heat-related illness and mortality, and water quality. 9.) What can be done about the urban heat island effect? They are increasing tree and vegetative cover, creating green roofs, using cool or green pavements, and installing cool or reflective roofs.

10.) What are green roofs and what are their advantages? They are roofs of buildings that are partially or completely covered with vegetation and soil, or a growing medium, planted over a waterproofing membrane. They help by improving air quality, water quality, and heat dissipation. They also have economic advantages. 11.) What is a cool pavement? Materials chosen to reduce pavement temperature by increasing pavement reflectivity or controlling temperature by other means through choice of materials and engineering design. 12.) What is a pervious pavement? What is the advantage? They can be made of concrete, asphalt, open-celled stones, and gravel that are mixed in a manner that creates an open cell structure allowing water and air to pass through. They help recharge ground water, and improve stormwater runoff quality. Water resources are also preserved. FRQ a. Describe how the temperature of urban areas like Atlanta, Philadelphia, and Chicago differs from that of surrounding rural areas. The temperature in the surrounding rural areas are lower than the urban areas due to the urban heat island effect. There is more heat in the urban regions than its surroundings. b. Identify and describe two differences between urban and surround rural areas that contribute to the temperature differences between them. Urban areas have more asphalt, concrete, and buildings. The buildings blocks radiation which increases the temperature. There are less trees in urban areas than its surrounding, which reduces the natural cooling cycle. c. Urban areas typically have levels of air pollution that are significantly higher than those found in surrounding rural areas. Identify a characteristic of the urban microclimate that lead to higher levels of air pollution and describe how that characteristic contributes to this increase. Transportation is used a lot in the urban areas, which releases a lot of CO2 into the air. d. Identify and describe two actions that local governments in urban areas could take to reduce air pollution. The local governments in urban areas are charging people taxes and incentives for people to reduce air pollution. They are also using education to help reduce the number of motor vehicles, improve fuel efficiency, and reduce fossil fuel use.