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Investigation of Urban Air Temperature and Humidity Patterns during Extreme Heat Conditions Using Satellite-Derived Data
Hu, Leiqiu Monaghan, Andrew J. Brunsell, Nathaniel A.
Hu, Leiqiu
Monaghan, Andrew J.
Brunsell, Nathaniel A.
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Abstract
Extreme heat is a leading cause of weather-related human mortality. The urban heat island (UHI) can magnify heat exposure in metropolitan areas. This study investigates the ability of a new MODIS-retrieved near-surface air temperature and humidity dataset to depict urban heat patterns over metropolitan Chicago, Illinois, during June–August 2003–13 under clear-sky conditions. A self-organizing mapping (SOM) technique is used to cluster air temperature data into six predominant patterns. The hottest heat patterns from the SOM analysis are compared with the 11-summer median conditions using the urban heat island curve (UHIC). The UHIC shows the relationship between air temperature (and dewpoint temperature) and urban land-use fraction. It is found that during these hottest events 1) the air temperature and dewpoint temperature over the study area increase most during nighttime, by at least 4 K relative to the median conditions; 2) the urban–rural temperature/humidity gradient is decreased as a result of larger temperature and humidity increases over the areas with greater vegetation fraction than over those with greater urban fraction; and 3) heat patterns grow more rapidly leading up to the events, followed by a slower return to normal conditions afterward. This research provides an alternate way to investigate the spatiotemporal characteristics of the UHI, using a satellite remote sensing perspective on air temperature and humidity. The technique has potential to be applied to cities globally and provides a climatological perspective on extreme heat that complements the many case studies of individual events.
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Date
2015-11
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American Meteorological Society
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Keywords
Heat islands, Remote sensing, Satellite observations
Citation
Hu, L., Monaghan, A. J., & Brunsell, N. A. (2015). Investigation of Urban Air Temperature and Humidity Patterns during Extreme Heat Conditions Using Satellite-Derived Data. Journal of Applied Meteorology and Climatology, 54(11), 2245-2259.