ABSTRACT
For millions of people living in cities, increased temperatures are a growing fact and concern. The urban heat island (UHI) is a phenomenon whereby urban regions experience warmer temperatures than their rural, undeveloped surroundings. The UHI is the most obvious atmospheric modification attributable to urbanization, the most studied of climate effects of cities and an iconic phenomenon of urban climate. It can be found in settlements of all sizes in all climatic regions and arises from the introduction of artificial surfaces characteristic of those of a city that radically alters the aerodynamic, radiative, thermal, and moisture properties in the urban region compared to the natural surroundings. The heat island is defined on the basis of temperature differences between urban and rural stations, and the isotherm patterns of near-surface air temperatures resemble the contours of an island.
