This topic contains a solution. Click here to go to the answer

Author Question: Explain the basic cause of the urban heat island. What will be an ideal ... (Read 21 times)

Zoey63294

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 539
Explain the basic cause of the urban heat island.
 
  What will be an ideal response?

Question 2

Compare the radiation absorption and emission characteristics of rural areas and urban areas. Use your conclusions to help explain the urban heat-island effect.
 
  What will be an ideal response?



Related Topics

Need homework help now?

Ask unlimited questions for free

Ask a Question
Marked as best answer by a Subject Expert

Chocorrol77

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 313
Answer to Question 1

Answer: Urban heat islands occur because of modification to the energy balance that results when natural surfaces are replaced by artificial materials and when human activities release heat into the local environment.

Answer to Question 2

Answer: Urban heat islands occur because of modifications to the energy balance that result when natural surfaces are paved and built on and when human activities release heat into the local environment. When the sun is low in the skynear sunrise and sunset, and during much of the day at high latitudes in the winterdirect sunlight that would otherwise reach the horizontal surface hits the vertical walls of buildings. This causes the angle of incidence to become closer to perpendicular and increases surface heating, which leads to a higher temperature. The presence of buildings also affects the rate of heating by changing the surface albedo. Darker buildings, of course, absorb more sunlight than lighter ones, and, in general, urban surfaces (asphalt streets, roofing materials) have lower albedos than the natural surfaces they replace. The presence of buildings also affects the amount of absorption by causing multiple reflections to occur, as shown in Figure 1419. As sunlight penetrates the urban landscape and hits the side of a building, some of the energy is absorbed and some is scattered back as diffuse radiation. Some of the scattered radiation strikes an adjacent building, where once again a portion is absorbed. This process goes on repeatedly, with each successive reflection at least partially absorbed upon contact with another wall. This increases the total absorption so the albedo of the urban area is actually lower than the albedo of the individual surfaces.




Zoey63294

  • Member
  • Posts: 539
Reply 2 on: Jul 14, 2018
Wow, this really help


  • Member
  • Posts:
Reply 3 on: Yesterday
Great answer, keep it coming :)

 

Did you know?

Human kidneys will clean about 1 million gallons of blood in an average lifetime.

Did you know?

On average, someone in the United States has a stroke about every 40 seconds. This is about 795,000 people per year.

Did you know?

Liver spots have nothing whatsoever to do with the liver. They are a type of freckles commonly seen in older adults who have been out in the sun without sufficient sunscreen.

Did you know?

The longest a person has survived after a heart transplant is 24 years.

Did you know?

Oxytocin is recommended only for pregnancies that have a medical reason for inducing labor (such as eclampsia) and is not recommended for elective procedures or for making the birthing process more convenient.

For a complete list of videos, visit our video library