Abstract
In this letter, the urban heat island effects on the temperature time series of Uccle (Brussels, Belgium) during the summers months 1960–1999 was estimated using both ground-based weather stations and remote sensing imagery, combined with a numerical land surface scheme including state-of-the-art urban parameterization, the Town Energy Balance Scheme. Analysis of urban warming based on remote sensing method reveals that the urban bias on minimum temperature is rising at a higher rate, 2.5 times (2.85 ground-based observed) more, than on maximum temperature, with a linear trend of 0.15 °C (0.19 °C ground-based observed) and 0.06 °C (0.06 °C ground-based observed) per decade respectively. The results based on remote sensing imagery are compatible with estimates of urban warming based on weather stations. Therefore, the technique presented in this work is a useful tool in estimating the urban heat island contamination in long time series, countering the drawbacks of a ground-observational approach.
Highlights
It is important to know whether, and to what extent, estimates of global warming trends can be explained by the growth of the urban heat island due to increased urbanization
In their study, the modeling set up was used just as a sensitivity study because no observed data were found in order to compare the results of their new technique based on remote sensing imagery with observed estimates from ground-based weather stations. Their model-based estimate of urban warming was based on calculating the difference between two model integrations: (i) “the rural” scenario representing a hypothetical situation with no urban areas inside the Brussels Capital Region domain and (ii) the “urban” scenario, which represented the climate in the presence of urban areas using the measured historical changes of surface cover fractions
To isolate effects of urbanization on local near surface climate conditions, we calculate the difference between two model integrations: (i) “the rural” scenario representing a hypothetical situation with no urban areas inside the Brussels Capital Region domain and the “urban” scenario, which represented the climate in the presence of urban areas using the measured historical changes of surface cover fractions
Summary
It is important to know whether, and to what extent, estimates of global warming trends can be explained by the growth of the urban heat island due to increased urbanization. If observations of temperatures in growing cities are used in the assessment of global warming trends, these trends may be overestimated. The change in urbanization over time is smaller for a station that. 2010, 2 originally was established in a densely built-up area than for a station originally installed in a rural or only light urbanized environment that has experienced growth. Jones et al [1] have shown that temperatures in central London and Vienna did not rise relative to rural locations nearby in recent decades. Suburban sites continue to warm relative to nearby rural areas until local urbanization is complete, as shown for London's Heathrow airport by Jones and Lister [2]. The past observational approach compared urban air temperature records with records of a rural area. In situ observations usually suffer from inhomogeneities caused by nonclimatic factors such as changes in observation time, instrumentations, location (altitude and latitude), and other local meteorological features
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
