Urban Heat Island in extreme continental climates: Yakutsk case-study (measurement networks from -47C to +35C)

The study of thermal anomalies for cities in extreme continental climates is of both practical and fundamental interest. Microclimatic differences (urban heat island) there are most pronounced compared to cities in other types of climates. 
In this regard, the team of authors has for the first time carried out large-scale measurements of the intensity and spatial structure of the heat island of the city of Yakutsk (62°01'48‘’N 129°43'48‘’E) in the Far East (Republic Yakutia, Russian Federation). 
This report describes the results of a microclimatic experiment to study the thermal structure of the city of Yakutsk using an independently deployed TZONE thermal sensor network in summer and winter.  The entire city was covered by the measuring infrastructure consisting of 18 sensor units for a two-month period  summer 2024. As a result, the data obtained unambiguously indicate the formation of a summer temperature anomaly in Yakutsk, which can be classified as a ‘summer heat island’, the intensity of which reaches 2.5-3.6 degrees Celsius in the night hours (a diagnostic sign of a heat island - Fig1). The average value of the heat island for the entire summer period can be estimated within 1.3-1.6 degrees Celsius. Significant heterogeneity in the daily course of temperature within the city and in the background zone is also noted. 

Figure 1. Nighttime Yakutsk summer heat island 
Of particular interest is the study of the heat island during the winter period ( with air temperatures from -35 to -45 degrees Celsius). A low temperature sensor network TZONE of 9 units showed the existence of instantaneous differences of up to 8-10 degrees Celsius with rural areas, with average heat island intensities of up to several degrees Celsius. 
This winter urban heat island monitoring has been supported by the grant of the Russian Science Foundation, RSF project №23-77-30008