Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Urban heat island and boundary layer structures under hot weather synoptic conditions: A case study of Suzhou City, China

  • Published:
Advances in Atmospheric Sciences Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

A strong urban heat island (UHI) appeared in a hot weather episode in Suzhou City during the period from 25 July to 1 August 2007. This paper analyzes the urban heat island characteristics of Suzhou City under this hot weather episode. Both meteorological station observations and MODIS satellite observations show a strong urban heat island in this area. The maximum UHI intensity in this hot weather episode is 2.2°C, which is much greater than the summer average of 1.0°C in this year and the 37-year (from 1970 to 2006) average of 0.35°C. The Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model simulation results demonstrate that the rapid urbanization processes in this area will enhance the UHI in intensity, horizontal distribution, and vertical extension. The UHI spatial distribution expands as the urban size increases. The vertical extension of UHI in the afternoon increases about 50 m higher under the year 2006 urban land cover than that under the 1986 urban land cover. The conversion from rural land use to urban land type also strengthens the local lake-land breeze circulations in this area and modifies the vertical wind speed field.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Changnon, S. A., 1992: Inadvertent weather-modification in urban areas: Lessons for global climate change. Bull. Amer. Meteor. Soc., 73, 619–627.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Changnon, S. A., K. E. Kunkel, and B. C. Reinke, 1996: Impacts and responses to the 1995 heat wave: A call to action. Bull. Amer. Meteor. Soc., 77, 1497–1506.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Childs, P. P., and S. Raman, 2005: Observations and numerical simulations of urban heat island and sea breeze circulations over New York City. Pure Appl. Geophys., 162, 1955–1980.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chen, L., W. Zhu, X. Zhou, and Z. Zhou, 2003: Characteristics of the heat island effect in Shanghai and its possible mechanism. Adv. Atmos. Sci., 20, 991–1001.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Comrie, A. C., 2000: Mapping a wind-modified urban heat island in Tucson, Arizona (with comments on integrating research and undergraduate learning). Bull. Amer. Meteor. Soc., 81, 2417–2431.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ebi, K. L., T. J. Teisberg, L. S. Kalkstein, L. Robinson, and R. F. Weiher, 2004: Heat watch/warning systems save lives—Estimated costs and benefits for Philadelphia 1995–98. Bull. Amer. Meteor. Soci., 85, 1067–1073.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fast, J. D., J. C. Torcolini, and R. Redman, 2005: Pseudovertical temperature profiles and the urban heat island measured by a temperature datalogger network in Phoenix, Arizona. J. Appl. Meteor., 44, 3–13.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Freitas, E. D., C. M. Rozoff, W. R. Cotton, and P. L. S. Dias, 2007: Interactions of an urban heat island and sea-breeze circulations during winter over the metropolitan area of Sao Paulo, Brazil. Bound.-Layer Meteor., 122(1), 43–65.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gaffin, S. R., and Coauthors, 2008: Variations in New York city’s urban heat island strength over time and space. Theor. Appl. Climatol., 94, 1–11.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gao, Z., and L. Bian, 2004: Estimation of aerodynamic roughness length and displacement of an urban surface from single-level sonic anemometer data. Aust. Meteor. Mag., 54, 21–28.

    Google Scholar 

  • Grimmond, C. S. B., 2006: Progress in measuring and observing the urban atmosphere. Theor. Appl. Climatol., 84, 3–22.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ji, C. P., W. D. Liu, and C. Y. Xuan, 2006: Impact of urban growth on the heat island in Beijing. Chinese J. Geophys., 49(1), 69–77. (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  • Kidder, S. Q., and O. M. Essenwanger, 1995: The effect of clouds and wind on the difference in nocturnal cooling rates between urban and rural-areas. J. Appl. Meteor., 34, 2440–2448.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lemonsu, A., S. Bastin, V. Masson, and P. Drobinski, 2006: Vertical structure of the urban boundary layer over Marseille under sea-breeze conditions. Bound.-Layer Meteor., 118(3), 477–501.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lu, J., S. P. Arya, W. H. Snyder, and R. E. Lawson, 1997a: A laboratory study of the urban heat island in a calm and stably stratified environment. 1. Temperature field. J. Appl. Meteor., 36, 1377–1391.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lu, J., S. P. Arya, W. H. Snyder, and R. E. Lawson, 1997b: A laboratory study of the urban heat island in a calm and stably stratified environment. 2. Velocity field. J. Appl. Meteor., 36, 1392–1402.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Martilli, A., 2007: Current research and future challenges in urban mesoscale modelling. International Journal of Climatology, 27, 1909–1918.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Martilli, A., A. Clappier, and M.W. Rotach, 2002: An urban surface exchange parameterisation for mesoscale models. Bound.-Layer Meteor., 104, 261–304.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Meehl, G. A., and C. Tebaldi, 2004: More intense, more frequent, and longer lasting heat waves in the 21st century. Science, 305, 994–997.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Meng, W., Y. Zhang, J. Li, W. Lin, G. Dai, and H. Li, 2010: Application of WRF/UCM in the simulation of a heat wave event and urban heat island around Guangzhou city. Journal of Tropical Meteorology, 26, 273–282. (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  • Menut, L., C. Flamant, and J. Pelon, 1999: Evidence of interaction between synoptic and local scales in the surface layer over the Paris area. Bound.-Layer Meteor., 93, 269–286.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Miao, S., P. Li., and X. Wang, 2009a: Building morphological characteristics and their effect on the wind in Beijing. Adv. Atmos. Sci., 26(6), 1115–1124, doi: 10.1007/s00376-009-7223-7.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Miao, S. G., F. Chen, A. L. Magaret, T. Mukul, Q. Li, and Y. Wang, 2009b: An observational and modeling study of characteristics of urban heat island and boundary layer structures in Beijing. J. Appl. Meteor. Climatol., 48(3), 484–501.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Oke, T. R., R. A. Spronken-Smith, E. Jauregui, and C. S. B. Grimmond, 1999: The energy balance of central Mexico City during the dry season. Atmos. Environ, 33, 3919–3930.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rong, C., H. Liu, and Y. Zhu, 2009: The study of the urban heat island and its influence factors in Suzhou City. Scientia Meteorologica Sinica, 29(1), 84–87.

    Google Scholar 

  • Roth, M., and T. R. Oke, 1995: Relative efficiencies of turbulent transfer of heat, mass, and momentum over a patchy urban surface. J. Atmos. Sci., 52, 1863–1874.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Semenza, J. C., 1996: Deaths in the Chicago heat wave. New England Journal of Medicine, 335, 1848–1849.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Souch, C., and S. Grimmond, 2006: Applied climatology: Urban climate. Progr. Phys. Geogr., 30, 270–279.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tan, J., Y. Zheng, G. Pen, S. Gu, and J. Shi, 2008: Effect of urban heat island on heat waves in summer of Shanghai. Plateau Meteorology, 27, 144–149. (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  • Tang, Y., and M. Miao, 1998: Numerical studies on urban heat island associated with urbanization in Yangtze Delta region. Adv. Atmos. Sci., 15(3), 393–403.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Trusilova, K., M. Jung, G. Churkina, U. Karstens, M. Heimann, and M. Claussen, 2008: Urbanization impacts on the climate in Europe: Numerical experiments by the PSU-NCAR Mesoscale Model (MM5). J. Appl. Meteor. Climatol., 47(5), 1442–1455.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Unger, J., Z. Sumeghy, A. Gulyas, Z. Bottyan, and L. Mucsi, 2001: Land-use and meteorological aspects of the urban heat island. Meteorol. Appl., 8, 189–194.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wang, W. G., 2009: The influence of thermally-induced mesoscale circulations on turbulence statistics over an idealized urban area under a zero background wind. Bound. Layer Meteor., 131(3), 403–423.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Xu, Y., S. Liu, F. Hu, N. Ma, Y. Wang, Y. Shi, and H. Jia, 2009: Influence of Beijing urbanization on the characteristics of atmospheric boundary layer. Chinese J. Atmos. Sci., 33(4), 859–867. (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhang, J., W. Dong, L. Wu, J. Wei, P. Chen, and D. Lee, 2005: Impact of land use changes on surface warming in China. Adv. Atmos. Sci., 22, 343–348.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang, N., W. Jiang, Z. Gao, F. Hu, and Z. Peng, 2009: Determination of urban surface aerodynamic characteristics using Marquardt method. Wind and Structures, 12(3), 281–283.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhang, N., Z. Gao, X. Wang, and Y. Chen, 2010: Modeling the impact of urbanization on the local and regional climate in Yangtze River Delta, China. Theor. Appl. Climatol., 102, 331–342.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhu, Y., and L. Zhu, 2009: An analysis on summer urban heat island in Suzhou using satellite data. Scientia Meteorologica Sinica, 29(1), 77–83.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Atmospheric Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210093, China

    Ning Zhang  (张 宁)

  2. Suzhou Meteorological Bureau, Suzhou, 215201, China

    Lianfang Zhu  (朱莲芳) & Yan Zhu  (朱 焱)

Authors
  1. Ning Zhang  (张 宁)
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Lianfang Zhu  (朱莲芳)
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Yan Zhu  (朱 焱)
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ning Zhang  (张 宁).

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Zhang, N., Zhu, L. & Zhu, Y. Urban heat island and boundary layer structures under hot weather synoptic conditions: A case study of Suzhou City, China. Adv. Atmos. Sci. 28, 855–865 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00376-010-0040-1

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00376-010-0040-1

Key words

Search

Navigation