With some understanding of the UHI, some curiosity could be raised about the UHI present in your own city or living area. Unfortunately, aside from large, major cities, it isn't very likely to find a study having been carried out for your particular area of interest. Fortunately, simple measurements of UHI could be carried out without the need for complex instruments or expensive gear.
Some common considerations that need to be taken into account prior to committing to building a UHI database is whether the meteorological readings are to be collected using primary data gathering approaches, or downloaded from a meteorological archive such as the
Met office or local weather stations.
Primary data:
Primary data in this field is very valuable because it adds to the flexibility of the research area. The UHI is very susceptible to changes in the vicinity's
land use variables. Relying on weather stations would mean the UHI being measured would be that experienced within the vicinity of the weather stations, which may not accurately reflect the conditions experienced in a particular area of interest.
Secondary data:
Unlike Primary data, relying on an external archive provides the freedom to quickly build a developed picture of the UHI present in the relative vicinity as not only does it provide the data without the need for actual measurements, but it also allows for the use of a very large database, dating back much farther than what would realistically be available through primary data. Additionally, all of the data processing with secondary data will also need to be done with primary data. Some examples of free secondary data sources within the UK can be seen below:
Both approaches carry their own set of advantages and disadvantages but a combination of the two is likely to yield the most fruitful results. Regardless of whether a researcher opts for primary, secondary or a combination of the two, the methods of obtaining the measurements, as with most aspects of the UHI, can vary and are related to the aims of the study. Essentially, these can be broken down into two categories:
- Field measurements
- Remote sensing
Both of which will be discussed in more detail in their own respective posts.
No comments:
Post a Comment