Urban BK 3 Flashcards
what is urban climate
how urban environments can influence aspects of local climate like temperature, wind speed, humidity etc
what are five different climate variables
temperature (urban heat island)
precipitation
fogs and thunderstorms
wind
air quality
what’s the basics of the urban heat island effect
the fact that temperatures are highest in more built up city centres and decrease towards the suburbs and countryside
in urban environments how much warmer are daytime temperatures than rural areas
0.6 degrees
why are nighttime temperatures 3/4 degrees higher than rural areas at night
the buildings give off radiation built up during the day
how much more can summer temperatures be in urban areas compared to rural
5 degrees
how much more as a percentage is hail likely to happen in urban than rural areas
400% more likely
how many days greater does it go without rain in urban areas compared to rural
5-15 days more
how much as a percentage do high urban temperatures limit snow by
15%
how much as a percentage do high temperatures increase the likelihood of thunder in urban areas
25%
what is albedo
the reflectivity of a surface, light surfaces reflect more than dark surfaces so have a greater albedo
define photochemical pollution
a form of air pollution that occurs mainly in cities and can be dangerous to health,
what’s 3 reasons urban areas tend to be warmer than rural areas
1)surfaces in the city tend to be much less reflective
2)air pollution from industries and vehicles increase cloud cover and creates a ‘pollution dome’
3)heat comes from industries, buildings and vehicles which all burn fuel
what are 4 reasons why the urban heat island effect is a concern
-conditions can become uncomfortable in buildings and transport systems, heat stroke, asthma and death increases
-produces higher air pollution levels
-pressure on the supply of energy for cooling and air con
-lead to increased water consumption by residents and businesses, could lead to water use restrictions
what’s 3 strategies to manage the urban heat island effect
- cool surfaces
-green roofs
-urban greening
describe what cool surfaces are
cool roofs built from materials with high solar reflection or albedo absorb, store less solar energy during the day so don’t emit lots of heat at night
how much can green roofs reduce rooftop temperatures by on a sunny day
20-40 degrees
what’s urban greening
planting trees and vegetation provides shade and can have a natural cooling effect
what’s one reason why precipitation can be higher over urban areas than rural
higher urban temperatures encourage the development of lower pressure over cities, convection rainfall happens more
when is a thunderstorm most likely to occur in an urban area
late afternoon and evening
how are thunderstorms produced
1) conventional uplift occurs
2)cumulonimbus clouds form up to the height of the tropopause, where stability increases
3)rapid cooling and condensation happens whihc leads to the formation of water droplets
4)during condensation latent heat is released which fuels conventional uplift, a positive electrical charge builds up in the cloud which ends up producing lightning
5)rapid expansion of air sheikh develops a shock wave which is heard as thunder
how do buildings impact wind
they excert a powerful frictional drag on air moving over and around them which creates turbulence giving rapid and abrupt changes in both wind direction and speed
how much lower is the annual wind velocity in urban areas compared to rural
30% lower in urban areas
how much more dust particles are there in a city compared to rural
3-7 times more
how much more CO2 in urban compared to rural areas
2 times