Important Definitions

Here we lay out some important definitions to our research. This includes, what is a heat island? and what is the UHE?.

What is a Heat Island?

A heat island is where an area has an increased temperature relative to it’s surroundings, eg a city being hotter than the rural areas surrounding it. This is most commonly caused by a larger amount of heat absorbing materials in an area relative to it’s surroundings.

For example in a big city there is more concrete than the surrounding rural areas. The concrete absorbs heat which it will release later, whereas the rural areas do not have this later reduced heat. This causes them to have a lower average temperature meaning the big city is a heat island.

What is the UHE?

The UHE is a general term for the heat islands caused by urban areas. It stands for Urban Heat Effect and it is caused by the increased quantity of materials such as concrete and steel. Materials such as these absorb heat and release it later causing most urban areas to be a heat island.

An example of this is New York. New York is very very hot relative to the areas surrounding it. This is because there are very few trees or plants in New York but lots of concrete and steel. This brings up the average temperature causing a heat island effect, and is a pattern which can be seen in many urban areas around the world.