Air temperatures are getting hotter for everybody. Urban, concrete/asphalt surfaced environments just amplify the effect.
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the annual mean air temperature of a city with 1 million or more people can be 1 to 3°C (1.8 to 5.4°F) warmer than its surrounding areas. On a clear, calm night, this temperature difference can even reach as high as 12°C (22°F) compared to rural areas.
Urban heat islands are created through a combination of factors. Green spaces and vegetation play a vital role in reducing surface temperatures through evapotranspiration, where plants release water to the surrounding air, dissipating ambient heat. Meanwhile, urban geometry, with its obstructive structures, traps heat at night. Additionally, urban surfaces absorb and store more heat compared to natural ground cover, raising temperatures further. Understanding these factors helps us create cooler and more sustainable cities.
Whilst planting more green spaces is great there are additional things we can do, like painting our rooftops super white, which would provide additional cooling on an individual household level reduce power usage...
Tests carried out by researchers at Purdue University on their "ultra-white" paint showed it reflected more than 98% of sunlight.
That suggests, the scientists say, that it could help save energy and fight climate change.
Painting "cool roofs" white is an energy-saving approach already being rolled out in some major cities.
Commercially available white paints reflect between 80% and 90% of sunlight, according to lead researcher Prof Xiulin Ruan from Purdue, in West Lafayette, Indiana. "It's a big deal, because every 1% of reflectance you get translates to 10 watts per metre squared less heat from the Sun," he explained.
joele wrote: ↑Wed Aug 02, 2023 11:42 pm
Whilst planting more green spaces is great there are additional things we can do, like painting our rooftops super white, which would provide additional cooling on an individual household level reduce power usage...
That remedy is restricted by location. I remember a house in Canberra, whose roof was repainted dark by order, because the original shiny silver galvanised iron was giving drivers on a major road momentary flash-blindness.
Re: Climate Change
Posted: Fri Aug 04, 2023 8:06 am
by pipbarber
I suppose these images could be put in a funny photos thread but this is our future, here in Australia, and possibly our very near future.
Phoenix had 31 days in a row above 43C, which is ridiculous. The images are fascinating in regard to how the infrastructure in our developed cities is going to hold up. The paint dripping off the road sign is amazing.
We are not built for the world we making.
Re: Climate Change and Urbanisation
Posted: Fri Aug 04, 2023 10:56 am
by joele
Climate scientists have been left "flabbergasted" as temperatures in parts of South America near 40 degrees Celsius in the middle of what is supposed to be its winter.
Data from Chile's national meteorological agency, Dirección Meteorológica de Chile, shows several weather stations in the country reached temperatures above 35C on August 1.
This is between 10C and 20C above what is normal for this time of year in parts of Chile and Argentina, according to data from the European Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF).
Climate scientists have been left "flabbergasted" as temperatures in parts of South America near 40 degrees Celsius in the middle of what is supposed to be its winter.
(Snip)
We've fallen off the cycle. Soon comes the face-plant.
Re: Climate Change and Urbanisation
Posted: Fri Aug 04, 2023 11:19 am
by joele
Irrev-Black wrote: ↑Fri Aug 04, 2023 11:00 am
We've fallen off the cycle. Soon comes the face-plant.
I think we are not going to resolve this, it has gone too far and we are too slow to act even now.. Not to mention that too many people either are disinterested or actively believe it is fake..
Reminds me of the boiling frog.
Please note they use a stunt/fake frog at the end (they did not harm the live frog).
Re: Climate Change and Urbanisation
Posted: Fri Aug 04, 2023 4:25 pm
by joele
^ Re my previous post, interestingly apparently it is a bit of an urban legend. Apparently frogs are smarter than us and will jump out, only humans that do nothing ;-(
