Uploaded on 2017-06-23 by Салагор Инна Разиловна

Module 4 - compulsory Exercise 2 Inna SALAGOR (Салагор Инна Разиловна) Russia, Tomsk HEAT ISLAND EFFECT 1. Check the temperature differences in US cities On the Climate Central website I have seen the significant effect of UHI in the US cities: hotter in the city than in nearby rural areas reaches 27 °C (Los Angeles), city summers differs from summers in rural areas: from 2,7 (NY) to -0,6 (San Diego), fewer days above 90° each year, than rural areas – 27 days (San Diego). 2. Which are the main UHI effects that you can identify in your area? I live in a small Siberian city (Tomsk), but over the past 10 years its area and population have greatly increased. Tomsk has a humid continental climate. The average annual temperature is 0,9°C. The frost-free period is 110-120 days. Winter is severe and prolonged, the minimum recorded temperature is -55°C (January 1931). The maximum registered temperature is +38° C (July 2004). Amplitude is 93°C. The total annual rainfall is 568 millimeters. UHI effect of the city is manifested in the fact that in winter the city is a little warmer, and in the summer it's hotter. If you look at the two images, you can see that an urban heat island (UHI) is significantly warmer than its surrounding rural areas due to human activities. Wind velocities in an urban environment are low due to wind sheltering effects by the surrounding buildings. These lower wind velocities lead to lower heat exchange between the building and the local environment, and a lower heat removal from the urban environment. 3. Which are the measures you would propose? If I could take part in the decision-making process of an initiative related to the UHI effect, I organized in the city more green open spaces, used modern materials for facades, reduced the number of cars in the city or the replacement of urban transport by electric transport. New districts need to be built taking into account the UHI effect. 4. Is UHI effect concerning policy making in your area? Tomsk scientists A. Adam and N. Laptev (TSU) study the topic «Assessment of the sustainability of the development of territories by the example of the regions of the Siberian Federal District». The aim of the work is to solve the problem of comparative assessment of the environmental sustainability of the development of the regions and its use in strategic planning, in the development of management decisions by the authorities, in programs for social and economic development. They investigate problems in the field of environmental protection: • Environmental pollution, including thermal pollution; • A high level of environmental hazard in connection with the activities of oil and gas producing enterprises; • Depletion of natural resources in local areas of the territory; • A significant number of unauthorized dumps.