Question

When is the urban heat island effect most likely to occur?

Answer 1

In general, urban areas have at least 10 times more particulate matter in their air than that of surrounding areas. In spite of the reduced sunlight, cities are warmer (due to urban heat island concept) than surrounding areas for two reasons. One is inreased heat production (traffic, industrial processes, and consumption of fossil fuels). The other is decreased rate of heat loss due to the abundance of building and paving materials, which act as solar collectors.

During summer days, urban heat islands are responsible for many deaths in some European cities, such as Barcelona, Madrid, Athens, etc.

Urban heat island is most noticeable during the summer and winter. The main cause of the urban heat island effect is from the modification of land surfaces (MarkVoganWeather, 2017).