Publication Type
Journal Article
Version
publishedVersion
Publication Date
4-2012
Abstract
Over the past 60 years, metropolitan Phoenix, Arizona, has been among the fastest-growing urban areas in the United States, and this rapid urbanization has resulted in an urban heat island (UHI) of substantial size and intensity. During this time, an uncommon amount of UHI-specific research, relative to other cities in North America, occurred within its boundaries. This review investigates the possible reasons and motivations underpinning the large body of work, as well as summarizing specific themes, approaches, and theoretical contributions arising from such study. It is argued that several factors intrinsic to Phoenix were responsible for the prodigious output: strong applied urban climate research partnerships between several agencies (such as the academy, the National Weather Service, private energy firms, and municipal governments); a high-quality, long-standing network of urban meteorological stations allowing for relatively fine spatial resolution of near-surface temperature data; and a high level of public and media interest in the UHI. Three major research themes can be discerned: 1) theoretical contributions from documenting, modeling, and analyzing the physical characteristics of the UHI; 2) interdisciplinary investigation into its biophysical and social consequences; and 3) assessment and evaluation of several UHI mitigation techniques. Also examined herein is the successful implementation of sustainable urban climate policies within the metropolitan area. The authors note the importance of understanding and applying local research results during the policy formation process.
Discipline
Environmental Sciences | Urban Studies and Planning
Publication
Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society
Volume
93
Issue
4
First Page
517
Last Page
530
ISSN
0003-0007
Identifier
10.1175/BAMS-D-11-00011.1
Publisher
American Meteorological Society
Citation
CHOW, Winston T. L., BRENNAN, Dean, & BRAZEL, Anthony J..(2012). Urban heat island research in Phoenix, Arizona. Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, 93(4), 517-530.
Available at: https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/soss_research/3069
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
Additional URL
https://doi.org/10.1175/BAMS-D-11-00011.1