Cities trap heat they can no longer release, a phenomenon known as the ‘urban heat island’ effect. The impact of this will worsen as the climate warms, but some cities are more at risk than others.
Extensive hard surfaces and a lack of green space traps heat in PortsmouthPeople living in more than eight in ten cities in Great Britain are already highly vulnerable to extreme heat, according to new research.
Dense buildings, roads and hard surfaces absorb solar heat during the day keeping cities significantly warmer than surrounding countryside.
A lack of trees and water sources eliminate the natural cooling effects of shading and evaporation.
We’re mapping how to turn thermal threats into actionable blueprints for urban resilience, supporting decisions on where heat refuges are sited and how emergency responses are planned in advance of climate events.The resulting phenomenon is known as the ‘urban heat island’. Urban heat can increase risks to health, particularly for older and vulner
able people, while putting additional pressure on homes, workp
laces, transport, energy infrastructure and public services.Cities across England, Scotland and Wales were analysedMapping experts at Ordnance Survey set out to find the British cities where the u
rban heat island has the most impact, and where it coul
d intensify most by the end of the century.They analysed data including building density and height, hard surface coverage, tree canopy, open vegetation and water across every cit
y in England, Scotland and Wales.They then combined this with satellite readings of land surface temperatures compared to their surrounding natural
Original Record.
This archived record authored by ‘Catherine Early’ at ‘METEORED (Your Weather)’ was recovered from data set:
English