Investigating the urban heat and cool island effects during extreme heat events in high-density cities: A case study of Hong Kong from 2000 to 2018



Ren, Chao, Wang, Kai, Shi, Yuan ORCID: 0000-0003-4011-8735, Kwok, Yu Ting, Morakinyo, Tobi Eniolu, Lee, Tsz-cheung and Li, Yuguo
(2021) Investigating the urban heat and cool island effects during extreme heat events in high-density cities: A case study of Hong Kong from 2000 to 2018. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CLIMATOLOGY, 41 (15). pp. 6736-6754.

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Abstract

<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title><jats:p>Urban heat island (UHI) and cool island (UCI) effects are well‐known and prevalent in cities worldwide. An increasing trend of extreme heat events has been observed over the last few decades and is expected to continue in the foreseeable future. In this study, warm periods (May to September) of 2000–2018 were examined to acquire a comprehensive understanding of the UHI and UCI characteristics for the case study of Hong Kong, China. Twenty‐two weather stations in Hong Kong were classified into four categories, namely urban, urban oasis, suburban, and rural, with reference to the local climate zone (LCZ) scheme, to analyze UHI and UCI phenomena during extreme heat and non‐extreme heat situations. One representative type of extreme heat events was considered in this study: three consecutive hot nights with two very hot days in between (2D3N). Results show that both the UHI and UCI effects are exacerbated during extreme heat events. Using the concept of the UHI degree hours (UHIdh) and UCI degree hours (UCIdh), their spatial patterns in Hong Kong during extreme heat and non‐extreme heat situations were mapped based on multiple linear regression models. It is found that the predictor variable – windward/leeward index is a significant influential factor of both UHIdh and UCIdh during extreme heat events. The resulting UHIdh and UCIdh maps not only enhance our understanding on the spatial pattern and characteristics of the UHI and UCI during extreme heat events, but could also serve as a useful reference in climate change adaptation, heat‐health risk detection, cooling‐energy estimation and policy making.</jats:p>

Item Type: Article
Uncontrolled Keywords: extreme heat events, heat waves, high-density cities, observational weather data, urban cool island, urban heat island
Divisions: Faculty of Science and Engineering > School of Environmental Sciences
Depositing User: Symplectic Admin
Date Deposited: 25 Jul 2022 14:00
Last Modified: 04 Sep 2023 03:08
DOI: 10.1002/joc.7222
Related URLs:
URI: https://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/id/eprint/3159252