Understanding the Urban Heat Island Effect

Information

The definitive source for information about the Urban Heat Island Effect is the Heat Island Group at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in Berkeley, CA. In the late 1990s, the group conducted extensive research into the so-called Heat Island effect, which is in essence, a summer warming trend that occurs in urban areas. The goal of this research was to find, analyze and implement solutions to this phenomenon. One of the solutions called for the development of surfaces that reflect rather than absorb heat, and that is happening.
The Heat Island Group website includes a five-minute overview of the Heat Island Group’s work, in a slideshow-type presentation. It was prepared for a Department of Energy (DOE) review of the Heat Island Program in 1999.

To see the overview of the Heat Island Program, which uses charts and graphs to explain the Heat Island Effect, click Heat Island Program Overview.

For more comprehensive information on the Urban Heat Island effect, click Heat Island Research.

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