Parallax
Heat Island Effect
Posted by Alfredo J. Martiz J. (Panama City, Panama) on 3 September 2007 in Art & Design.
Two weeks ago I was asked to make a graphic or image representing the Heat Island Effect, I started to think about how to do it and made sketches of different ideas that came into my mind, this is the idea I liked most so I made a 3d Model. It was fun working on this concept of a serious problem of our cities.
Note: What you see is not a photo but a render of a 3D model.
This Image shows a scale model city inside a glass bowl, the extreme heat that affects this fictional city is produced by a microwave.
I hope you like it, please let me know what you think and continue reading for more information about the heat island effect. Thank you for your visits and comments!
The term "heat island" refers to a metropolitan area which is significantly warmer than its surroundings. The temperature difference usually is larger at night than during the day and larger in winter than in summer, and is most apparent when winds are weak.
Heat islands form as cities replace natural land cover with pavement, buildings, and other infrastructure. These changes contribute to higher urban temperatures in a number of ways:
- Displacing trees and vegetation minimizes the natural cooling effects of shading and evaporation of water from soil and leaves (evapotranspiration).
-Tall buildings and narrow streets can heat air trapped between them and reduce air flow.
-Waste heat from vehicles, factories, and air conditioners may add warmth to their surroundings, further exacerbating the heat island effect.
In addition to these factors, heat island intensities depend on an area's weather and climate, proximity to water bodies, and topography.
Heat islands can occur year-round during the day or night. Urban-rural temperature differences are often largest during calm, clear evenings. This is because rural areas cool off faster at night than cities, which retain much of the heat stored in roads, buildings, and other structures. As a result, the largest urban-rural temperature difference, or maximum heat island effect, is often three to five hours after sunset.
There are a number of steps that communities can take to lessen the impacts of heat islands. These "heat island reduction strategies" include:
-Installing cool or vegetated green roofs;
-Planting trees and vegetation; and
-Switching to cool paving materials.
Source: Wikipedia, Heat Island Effect
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