
This is especially true in urban areas that suffer from urban heat island effects. When it's really hot, many of us run straight to the fan or the air conditioning. Scientists are studying how urban heat islands might contribute to global warming, the most recent climate change pattern that includes the gradual warming of the Earth's temperature. When warm water from the UHI ends up flowing into local streams, it stresses the native species that have adapted to life in a cooler aquatic environment. These pollutants are blocked from scattering and becoming less toxic by the urban landscape: buildings, roads, sidewalks, and parking lots. UHIs often have lower air quality because there are more pollutants (waste products from vehicles, industry, and people) being pumped into the air. Urban heat islands can have worse air and water quality than their rural neighbors. Because the heat is trapped on lower levels, the temperature is warmer. This is because buildings, sidewalks, and parking lots block heat coming from the ground from rising into the cold night sky. Nighttime temperatures in UHIs remain high. It lingers in and between buildings in the UHI. All this construction means waste heat-and heat that escapes insulation has nowhere to go. When there is no more room for an urban area to expand, engineers build upward, creating skyscrapers. Urban areas are also densely constructed, meaning buildings are constructed very close together. Urban areas are densely populated, meaning there are a lot of people in a small space. And if there are a lot of people in one area, that's a lot of heat. The energy people burn off usually escapes in the form of heat. People and their tools, such as cars and factories, are always burning off energy, whether they’re jogging, driving, or just living their day-to-day lives. This insulation makes the areas around buildings warmer. Building materials are usually very good at insulating, or holding in heat. When houses, shops, and industrial buildings are constructed close together, it can create a UHI. Urban heat islands are created in areas like these: places that have lots of activity and lots of people. Heat is created by energy from all the people, cars, buses, and trains in big cities like New York, Paris, and London. An urban heat island, or UHI, is a metropolitan area that's a lot warmer than the rural areas surrounding it.
