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Heat and Humidity in the City: Neighborhood Heat Index Variability in a Mid-Sized City in the Southeastern United States

Author

Listed:
  • Alisa L. Hass

    (Department of Geography, The University of Tennessee, 304 Burchfiel Geography Building, Knoxville, TN 37996, USA)

  • Kelsey N. Ellis

    (Department of Geography, The University of Tennessee, 304 Burchfiel Geography Building, Knoxville, TN 37996, USA
    These authors contributed equally to this work.)

  • Lisa Reyes Mason

    (College of Social Work, The University of Tennessee, 408 Henson Hall, Knoxville, TN 37996, USA
    These authors contributed equally to this work.)

  • Jon M. Hathaway

    (Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, The University of Tennessee, 325 John D. Tickle Building, Knoxville, TN 37996, USA
    These authors contributed equally to this work.)

  • David A. Howe

    (Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, The University of Tennessee, 325 John D. Tickle Building, Knoxville, TN 37996, USA
    These authors contributed equally to this work.)

Abstract

Daily weather conditions for an entire city are usually represented by a single weather station, often located at a nearby airport. This resolution of atmospheric data fails to recognize the microscale climatic variability associated with land use decisions across and within urban neighborhoods. This study uses heat index, a measure of the combined effects of temperature and humidity, to assess the variability of heat exposure from ten weather stations across four urban neighborhoods and two control locations (downtown and in a nearby nature center) in Knoxville, Tennessee, USA. Results suggest that trees may negate a portion of excess urban heat, but are also associated with greater humidity. As a result, the heat index of locations with more trees is significantly higher than downtown and areas with fewer trees. Trees may also reduce heat stress by shading individuals from incoming radiation, though this is not considered in this study. Greater amounts of impervious surfaces correspond with reduced evapotranspiration and greater runoff, in terms of overall mass balance, leading to a higher temperature, but lower relative humidity. Heat index and relative humidity were found to significantly vary between locations with different tree cover and neighborhood characteristics for the full study time period as well as for the top 10% of heat index days. This work demonstrates the need for high-resolution climate data and the use of additional measures beyond temperature to understand urban neighborhood exposure to extreme heat, and expresses the importance of considering vulnerability differences among residents when analyzing neighborhood-scale impacts.

Suggested Citation

  • Alisa L. Hass & Kelsey N. Ellis & Lisa Reyes Mason & Jon M. Hathaway & David A. Howe, 2016. "Heat and Humidity in the City: Neighborhood Heat Index Variability in a Mid-Sized City in the Southeastern United States," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 13(1), pages 1-19, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:13:y:2016:i:1:p:117-:d:61982
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. K. Oleson & A. Monaghan & O. Wilhelmi & M. Barlage & N. Brunsell & J. Feddema & L. Hu & D. Steinhoff, 2015. "Interactions between urbanization, heat stress, and climate change," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 129(3), pages 525-541, April.
    2. Hajat, S. & Sheridan, S.C. & Allen, M.J. & Pascal, M. & Laaidi, K. & Yagouti, A. & Bickis, U. & Tobias, A. & Bourque, D. & Armstrong, B.G. & Kosatsky, T., 2010. "Heat-health warning systems: A comparison of the predictive capacity of different approaches to identifying dangerously hot days," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 100(6), pages 1137-1144.
    3. Harlan, Sharon L. & Brazel, Anthony J. & Prashad, Lela & Stefanov, William L. & Larsen, Larissa, 2006. "Neighborhood microclimates and vulnerability to heat stress," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 63(11), pages 2847-2863, December.
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    1. Ernesto Infusino & Tommaso Caloiero & Francesco Fusto & Gianfranco Calderaro & Angelo Brutto & Giuseppe Tagarelli, 2021. "Characterization of the 2017 Summer Heat Waves and Their Effects on the Population of an Area of Southern Italy," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(3), pages 1-16, January.
    2. Yasha Wang & Wanlu Ouyang & Qingming Zhan & Li Zhang, 2022. "The Cooling Effect of an Urban River and Its Interaction with the Littoral Built Environment in Mitigating Heat Stress: A Mobile Measurement Study," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(18), pages 1-16, September.
    3. Rakefet Shafran-Nathan & David M. Broday, 2022. "Spatiotemporal variability in exposure to excessive heat at the sub-urban scale," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 174(1), pages 1-21, September.
    4. Scott Greeves, 2023. "Tracking Trash: Understanding Patterns of Debris Pollution in Knoxville’s Urban Streams," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(24), pages 1-13, December.

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