Examining the seasonal and diurnal atmospheric UHI variability using meteorological parameters within an urban microclimate

This study examines seasonal and diurnal Urban Heat Island (UHI) effects within urban environments. It aims to develop an understanding of UHI dynamics to help guide urban planning and climate resilience. The high-resolution observed meteorological data is obtained at a subhourly scale from seven fixed automatic weather stations in urban and rural settings, installed in Dehradun city, India, to analyse UHI variability for the time period 2021-2023. The research also focused on complex interactions between intracity UHI variability and key meteorological parameters, namely humidity, wind speed, dew point, and solar radiation, and how these factors influence UHI intensity changes. The analysis reveals strong seasonal variations in UHI patterns, with the summer season exhibiting the highest UHI intensities, reaching over 10 °C for most urban stations. The winter season demonstrated the lowest UHI values across all stations, with UHI intensities ranging approximately 3-5 °C. Diurnal UHI patterns showed a clear increase during daylight hours, peaking during mid afternoon, and diminishing during nighttime. The diverse results demonstrate how urban morphology can be combined with atmospheric conditions to better understand the complex urban thermal environment. These findings present crucial implications for urban building planning and management since increased UHI values enhance thermal stress impact on buildings, infrastructure, energy consumption, and human comfort. This study contributes to the broader discourse on sustainable urban development by highlighting the necessity of considering UHI dynamics in urban climate resilience planning. Further, it demonstrates the need to include meteorological data in city planning and how it may assist in mitigating the climate change impacts while promoting sustainable urban development.

 

Keywords: Urban Heat Island, Seasonal Variability, Diurnal Patterns, Urban Microclimate, Climate Adaptation