<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><p>This study seeks to quantify the effects of a number of factors on the nocturnal air temperature field in a medium-sized central European city located in complex terrain. The main data sources consist of mobile air temperature measurements and a geographical database. Temperature measurements were taken along several profiles through the city centre and were made under a clear sky with no advection. Altogether nine sets of detailed measurements, in all seasons, were assembled. Altitude, quantity of vegetation, density of buildings and the structure of the transportation (road) system were considered as explanatory variables. The result is that the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and the density of buildings were the most important factors, each of them explaining a substantial part (more than 50%) of overall air temperature variability. Mobile measurements with NDVI values as a covariate were used for interpolation of air temperature for the entire study area. The spatial variability of nocturnal air temperature and UHI intensity in Brno is the main output presented. Air temperatures interpolated from mobile measurements and NDVI values indicate that the mean urban heat island (UHI) intensity in the early night in summer is at its highest (approximately 5 °C) in the city centre and decreases towards the suburban areas.</p></abstract>

This study seeks to quantify the effects of a number of factors on the nocturnal air temperature field in a medium-sized central European city located in complex terrain. The main data sources consist of mobile air temperature measurements and a geographical database. Temperature measurements were taken along several profiles through the city centre and were made under a clear sky with no advection. Altogether nine sets of detailed measurements, in all seasons, were assembled. Altitude, quantity of vegetation, density of buildings and the structure of the transportation (road) system were considered as explanatory variables. The result is that the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and the density of buildings were the most important factors, each of them explaining a substantial part (more than 50%) of overall air temperature variability. Mobile measurements with NDVI values as a covariate were used for interpolation of air temperature for the entire study area. The spatial variability of nocturnal air temperature and UHI intensity in Brno is the main output presented. Air temperatures interpolated from mobile measurements and NDVI values indicate that the mean urban heat island (UHI) intensity in the early night in summer is at its highest (approximately 5 °C) in the city centre and decreases towards the suburban areas.

The spatial variability of air temperature and nocturnal urban heat island intensity in the city of Brno, Czech Republic

Department of Geography, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic

Moravian Geographical Reports

This chapter is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 Public License.

This study seeks to quantify the effects of a number of factors on the nocturnal air temperature field in a medium-sized central European city located in...

The spatial variability of air temperature and nocturnal urban heat island intensity in the city of Brno, Czech Republic

Published Online: Oct 29, 2015

Page range: 8 - 16

Received: Nov 18, 2014

Accepted: May 13, 2015

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/mgr-2015-0013

Keywords
urban heat island, mobile measurements, air temperature, Brno, Czech Republic

© 2015 Petr Dobrovolný et al., published by De Gruyter Open

This chapter is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 Public License.

The spatial variability of air temperature and nocturnal urban heat island intensity in the city of Brno, Czech Republic

Published Online: Oct 29, 2015

Page range: 8 - 16

Received: Nov 18, 2014

Accepted: May 13, 2015

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/mgr-2015-0013

Keywordsurban heat island, mobile measurements, air temperature, Brno, Czech Republic

© 2015 Petr Dobrovolný et al., published by De Gruyter Open

This chapter is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 Public License.

Keywords
urban heat island, mobile measurements, air temperature, Brno, Czech Republic