Climate Change
Heat Island
The urbanization of the world has contributed greatly to the earth's climate change and subsequent threat to biodiversity. Most notably, cities create a "heat island" whose surrounding temperature is much warmer than the surrounding rural environments [22]. This bubble of heat surrounding urban environments is caused by the asphalt, cement, rooftops, and other urbanized surfaces rising to much higher temperatures than the air around them. The hot surfaces then radiate heat into the cooler, surrounding air. Rural, more natural environments hold much more moisture than urban surfaces, and their more permeable surfaces absorb heat, rather than reflect it back into the atmosphere.
Stress on Organisms
The heat island has many detrimental effects on surrounding habitats. Water surrounding urbanized areas can become too warm for fish to easily survive. The heat from urbanization may cause too much stress to animals dwelling within the city, and it can also contaminate their water supplies [23]. Higher temperatures also facilitate ground-level ozone, drastically lowering air quality which in turn further stresses species living in that area [23].
Primary Source
22. Roth, M., T. R. Oke, and W. J. Emery. "Satellite-derived Urban Heat Islands from Three Coastal Cities and the Utilization of Such Data in Urban Climatology."International Journal of Remote Sensing 10.11 (1989): 1699-720. Print.
Secondary Sources
23. "Heat Island Effect." EPA. United States Environmental Protection Agency, n.d. Web. 24 Feb. 2014. <http://www.epa.gov/hiri/about/index.htm>.
24. "Main Page." Wikimedia Commons. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Mar. 2014. <http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Main_Page>.
The urbanization of the world has contributed greatly to the earth's climate change and subsequent threat to biodiversity. Most notably, cities create a "heat island" whose surrounding temperature is much warmer than the surrounding rural environments [22]. This bubble of heat surrounding urban environments is caused by the asphalt, cement, rooftops, and other urbanized surfaces rising to much higher temperatures than the air around them. The hot surfaces then radiate heat into the cooler, surrounding air. Rural, more natural environments hold much more moisture than urban surfaces, and their more permeable surfaces absorb heat, rather than reflect it back into the atmosphere.
Stress on Organisms
The heat island has many detrimental effects on surrounding habitats. Water surrounding urbanized areas can become too warm for fish to easily survive. The heat from urbanization may cause too much stress to animals dwelling within the city, and it can also contaminate their water supplies [23]. Higher temperatures also facilitate ground-level ozone, drastically lowering air quality which in turn further stresses species living in that area [23].
Primary Source
22. Roth, M., T. R. Oke, and W. J. Emery. "Satellite-derived Urban Heat Islands from Three Coastal Cities and the Utilization of Such Data in Urban Climatology."International Journal of Remote Sensing 10.11 (1989): 1699-720. Print.
Secondary Sources
23. "Heat Island Effect." EPA. United States Environmental Protection Agency, n.d. Web. 24 Feb. 2014. <http://www.epa.gov/hiri/about/index.htm>.
24. "Main Page." Wikimedia Commons. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Mar. 2014. <http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Main_Page>.