Modeling the Winter Urban Heat Island Over Christchurch, New Zealand

1981/04/01 by N. J. Tapper, Nigel Tapper, P. D. Tyson +4 · 42 citations
Engineering · Environmental Science · Physics and Astronomy · #Atmospheric sciences #Building Energy and Comfort Optimization #Climatology #Energy balance #Environmental science #Geography #Geology #Latent heat #Meteorology #Scientific Research and Discoveries #Sensible heat #Urban Heat Island Mitigation #Urban heat island

paper · doi:10.1175/1520-0450(1981)020<0365:vkecoh>2.0.co;2

published in Journal of applied meteorology 20(4), 365-376 (American Meteorological Society)

openalex publication_date 1981/04/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/07

Abstract

An energy balance model is presented and tested against surface temperature fields observed over Christchurch under clear winter conditions. The fit between observed and simulated fields is shown to be close by night and slightly less so by day. Using the model the spatial variation of net radiation, sensible, latent and substrate heat fluxes within the Christchurch urban heat island is illustrated for average winter cloudless days and nights.

Citations

• A Global Climatic Model Based on the Energy Balance of the Earth-Atmosphere System
• A Numerical Model of the Urban Heat Island

Cited by

• Two decades of urban climate research: a review of turbulence, exchanges of energy and water, and the urban heat island
• Urban influences on boundary layer temperature and humidity: Results from Christchurch, New Zealand

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