Observations in Nonurban Heat Islands

Abstract

The urban heat island is a well-known and well-described temperature anomaly, but other types of heat islands are also infrequently reported. A 10 km × 30 km data field containing more than 100 individual winter morning air temperature measurement points was examined for areas characteristically warmer than surrounding areas. The very small “downtown” of Hanover, New Hampshire, was found to be 1°–2°C warmer than nearby open areas at the same elevation. The same technique was applied to examine the morning air temperature within a nearby hamlet consisting of about 60 wooden buildings within an area less than 0.3 km2. The bulk of observations and observations stratified by snow and sky cover showed no systematic difference between hamlet air temperatures and those obtained in surrounding terrain. Morning air temperatures along a freezing river were measured and found to be systematically warmer than nearby air temperatures for several days, until a significant snowfall diminished the ice growth rate. A thorough examination of temperature profiles near the river showed that the increase in air temperature beneath the overnight inversion during this freezing period was proportional to the heat release resulting from river ice growth.