Panagiotis Sismanidis (National Observatory of Athens / Ruhr University Bochum) - Urban Heat Islands
Competency Framework
WMO Satellite Skills
Description
Panagiotis Sismanidis provides insight into urban heat islands including its drivers and impacts.
Content
Cities are generally warmer than their surroundings. This phenomenon is known as the Urban Heat Island (UHI) and is one of the clearest examples of human-induced climate modification. UHIs increase the cooling energy demand, aggravate the feeling of thermal discomfort, and influence air quality. In this talk we will discuss the drivers and impacts of UHIs and showcase how to characterize the urban landscape in Local Climate Zones. We will also discuss the discrepancies between remotely-sensed land surface temperatures (LST) and near-surface air temperatures when studying the urban climate.