Urban Heat Island Effect

In 2011, the percentage of the total world population living in urban areas was 51%, according to the Population Reference Bureau’s world population data sheet (PRB 2011). Even though countries define urban in many different ways, from population centers of 100 or more dwellings to only the population living in national and provincial capitals, one thing is clear: the world is being urbanized. Ecosystems regulate the climate through biophysical processes that mediate energy and water balances at the land surface (West et al. 2011) (see Chapter 16). Consequently, the replacement of natural surfaces by CONTENTS 19.1 Introduction ................................................................................................ 417 19.2 Evaluation of the UHI Effect ....................................................................420