An evaluation of intra-university campus temperature variability under variable synoptic weather conditions using mobile transects.

Abstract

Intensive observations were collected in a wide range of synoptic weather conditions to evaluate variability in the intra-urban heat island on the campus of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte between February 2023 and June 2023. An easily reproducible bicycle-based mobile transit route around the university was traversed during 20 afternoon and 20 evening periods. The magnitude of observed temperature range from an individual data collection period is defined as the campus urban heat island intensity, with areas having more anthropogenic modification also having higher temperatures. While other papers have examined the relationship between the city-scale urban heat island intensity and the present weather conditions, this paper aims to disentangle the relationship between present weather conditions and the magnitude of thermal variability across a small intra-urban campus with diverse land use and land cover characteristics. This will contribute to a better understanding of intra-urban heat islands, particularly identifying days where conditions will be highly dangerous in more developed areas, and not in more natural environments. When comparing the standardized mobile-transit observations to the regionally present weather conditions it is evident that clear and calm conditions often enhance both city-scale and campus-scale heat islands, increasing temperature disparities. While the spatial distribution of warm and cool areas across campus remains relatively constant, the campus-scale heat island is significantly modulated by the present weather conditions.