Why should urban heat island researchers study history?

Abstract

In the scientific fields of meteorology and climatology, formal surveys of the urban atmosphere originate from the early 19th century. Since that time, hundreds of measurement studies on the “city temperature effect"—or “heat island effect"—have been published in the scholarly literature. Among these studies is a body of classic work that has made unparalleled theoretical and methodological contributions to the field of urban climatology. However, researchers today are largely unaware of this foundational work, despite its relevance to contemporary problems in the field. With recent reviews of the heat island literature highlighting these same problems, the question naturally arises: Has our ignorance of history delayed modern progress in the field? To investigate, I identify 40 classic heat island studies (pre-1980) and review the contribution that each has made to the development of modern urban climatology. I then use citation analysis to assess the intellectual connection between the classic and modern literatures on urban heat islands. Results show that in a sample of 75 modern studies, only 4% of citations are linked to the classic work, while <10% are linked to historical work of any kind. Moreover, 23 of the 40 classics are uncited in the sample, suggesting a total disconnection from the citation network of modern researchers. I attribute this disconnection to four main causes: (i) barriers to literature access, (ii) end of citation lifecycles, (iii) publish-or-perish attitudes, and (iv) diversity of skills and scholarly backgrounds. These causes are generating oversupply and diminished quality of heat island observations in international journals, and false claims to “novel” methods and “first” or “unprecedented” outcomes. To cultivate new respect toward the classic literature—and to involve historical and philosophical perspectives in the search for modern solutions in the field—I offer recommendations for change at both individual and institutional levels. These changes could set the course for a future period of heat island publication to be more economical and authoritative.