Understanding Key Environmental and Urban Climate Phenomena
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The Greenhouse Effect: A Frightening Environmental Impact
The greenhouse effect is perhaps the most frightening environmental impact that scares people. Doomsday predictions abound about the melting of polar ice sheets and mountain ranges, and the consequent rise in sea levels and flooding of hundreds of coastal cities.
Urban Heat Islands: Temperature Peaks in Cities
Urban heat islands are areas within a city that experience significantly higher temperatures than surrounding rural areas. A city can have several temperature peaks scattered throughout the urban area, forming distinct islands of heat. For example, a heavily built and industrialized region, such as the Marginal Tietê hub, exhibits higher peak temperatures than the Morumbi region, despite Morumbi having ample green areas. Cities generally experience higher temperatures than rural areas of similar latitude. Within urban areas, temperatures typically increase from the periphery towards the center.
Temperature Inversion: An Urban Meteorological Phenomenon
Temperature inversion is a meteorological phenomenon that occurs mainly in cities and major urban centers. Normally, solar radiation heats the ground, and the heat retained warms the lower layers of the atmosphere. These layers, being warm and less dense, tend to rise, forming convection currents of air. Consequently, pollutants, being warmer than the air (and therefore less dense), would normally rise and disperse in the higher layers of the atmosphere. However, during a temperature inversion, a layer of warm air traps cooler, denser air near the ground, preventing this natural upward movement and dispersion of pollutants. This leads to a concentration of pollutants in the lower atmosphere and poor air quality.
Global Warming: A Consequence of Climate Change
Global warming is a significant consequence of climate change impacting our planet. Numerous scientific studies consistently confirm a measurable increase in the Earth's global mean temperature.