RESUME / ABSTRACT  




Measurement and Interpretation of Urban Heat Fluxes

par/by


Tim Oke

Department of Geography
University of British Columbia




Starting from some early work in Montreal, the lecture traces some developments in urban meteorology as it has progressed to become a quantitative and predictive field. This path necessitated the development and testing of conceptualizations of the city system. An original hypothesis, that the apparent inhomogeneity and complexity of the city could be handled if the scale of enquiry was adjusted appropriately, is shown to be largely correct. As a result the use of modified versions of micrometeorological techniques have allowed repeatable measurements of urban surface-atmosphere exchanges to be gathered. This is now at the stage where a good picture of heat exchanges and energy balances is emerging from many cities around the world. These are being used to develop parameterizations and to test urban climate models. Difficulties remain but the field is poised to launch into fruitful collaborations with the meso- and synoptic scale forecast and air quality modeling communities, and work towards intelligent use of satellite remote sensing, and contribute to a range of real world applications.