Experience of Studying the Vertical Structure of an Urban Heat Island Based on Satellite Data

Abstract

The structure of an urban heat island in the large industrial centers of the European part of Russia is studied based on the MetOp-A and MetOp-B satellite data. The intensity of the heat island is characterized by the different temperature and specific humidity between the urban area and the surrounding territory. It is shown that this analysis can be used only for large megalopolises like Moscow due to the limited horizontal resolution of the satellite data. The satellite data are grouped in time intervals of 19:30–23:30 and 10:00–13:00 UTC, called “evening” and “before noon” intervals, respectively. In the summer, Moscow’s heat island extends to ~1500 m. In the winter, the vertical extent of the heat island is ~1000 m before noon, and in the evening the heat island is recorded only in the lowest part of the profile. During the summer, the heat island is accompanied by an urban dry island that extends for a height of ~1000 m. Specific humidity increases above these heights as a rule. In the winter, a wet island is most pronounced above the surface.