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Title: Urban Heat Islands during Heat Waves: A Comparative Study between Boston and Phoenix
Abstract In this study, we simulate the magnitude of urban heat islands (UHIs) during heat wave (HWs) in two cities with contrasting climates (Boston, Massachusetts, and Phoenix, Arizona) using the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) Model and quantify their drivers with a newly developed attribution method. During the daytime, a surface UHI (SUHI) is found in Boston, which is mainly caused by the higher urban surface resistance that reduces the latent heat flux and the higher urban aerodynamic resistance r a that inhibits convective heat transfer between the urban surface and the lower atmosphere. In contrast, a daytime surface urban cool island is found in Phoenix, which is mainly due to the lower urban r a that facilitates convective heat transfer. In terms of near-surface air UHI (AUHI), there is almost no daytime AUHI in either city. At night, an SUHI and an AUHI are identified in Boston that are due to the stronger release of heat storage in urban areas. In comparison, the lower urban r a in Phoenix enhances convective heat transfer from the atmosphere to the urban surface at night, leading to a positive SUHI but no AUHI. Our study highlights that the magnitude of UHIs or urban cool islands is strongly controlled by urban–rural differences in terms of aerodynamic features, vegetation and moisture conditions, and heat storage, which show contrasting characteristics in different regions.  more » « less
Award ID(s):
1854706
NSF-PAR ID:
10230923
Author(s) / Creator(s):
;
Date Published:
Journal Name:
Journal of Applied Meteorology and Climatology
Volume:
60
Issue:
5
ISSN:
1558-8424
Page Range / eLocation ID:
621 to 641
Format(s):
Medium: X
Sponsoring Org:
National Science Foundation
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