More people, more concrete, and lots more heat in Phoenix

The Christian Science Monitor ^ | Faye Bowers

[Lorianne]

An 'urban heat island' effect, fed by the city's growth, is trapping heat and making temperatures soar. ___ Arizona is poised to take another record. No. 1 in the nation for most illegal immigrants crossing the border, or No. 1 in the nation for identity thefts.

This "one" directly corresponds with another No. 1 – its status as the fastest-growing state in the nation. While news of global warming becomes as common as the wheeze of air conditioners here, Phoenix is fighting a different, if related, problem.

In part because of heavy growth – particularly in the Phoenix metro area – heat is being reflected, trapped, and absorbed in concrete, rooftops, and a maze of buildings that blocks wind. At the same time, there's little vegetation to absorb the heat, and high energy usage generates more.

It's called the "urban heat-island effect," and whatever the impact of global warming here, this phenomenon is sending the mercury rising. On Tuesday, Phoenix tied the all-time record of 28 days at 110 degrees or greater in one summer, reached in 1979 and again in 2002. If the temperature rises to 110 degrees one more day this year, Phoenix will set a record.

"We're forecasting 111 for Wednesday, 109 for Thursday, and 110 again on Friday," says Keith Kincaid, a forecaster with the National Weather Service here.

[Lorianne]

This is true everywhere there is lots of concrete and asphalt. Particularly when you have miles and miles of strip shopping centers with their oceans and oceans of parking lots bordered by 6-8 lane roads.

I'm thinking a lot of that has to bump up temperatures in cities and contribute to the "global warming" numbers. To be accurate on heat gain, you'd have to check if temps are getting higher in non-urban settings around the world.

[EBH]

Actually years ago I had read that 25% of Global Warming had to do with poor land use. Pavement being one factor and poor soils the other factor. Soils because they act as a sink for CH4 (methane), poor soils actually can’t retain the CH4 and off gas it instead where it breaks down into water and....CO2. It was a facinating read at the time as it made the argument that the industry and cars had less to do with Global Warming. The paper argued it was most likely due to poor land use worldwide ranging from burning forests and old fields to urban sprawl and the clearing of top soils.

[Thebaddog]

OTOH, Chicago was a heat source till the green weenies cooled us down. Now all the storms hit us dead freakin center and the city uses all of our basements as retention basins for every rains storm that comes now.

You could look it up.

[Larry Lucido]

But it’s a dry urban heat island.

[southernnorthcarolina]

Urban heat island caused by lots of concrete, blah, blah, blah...

I called in an expert consultant:

The real problem here, he told me, is that -- get really close to the screen here, so you'll be able to see it --

YOU'RE LIVING IN A #@$%ING DESERT!!!

Thank you.

[irishtenor]

I think I will put 100% of Global Warming on the fault of the sun. If the sun shined less, there would be less warming.

Maybe if Congress repealed Daylight Savings, and we save more nighttime (when it is a lot cooler) things would cool down around here.

[Ruy Dias de Bivar]

Yawn...When Phoenix gets to 110 degrees with 85% humidity then they will have something to cry about. Till then, wet yourself down about once an hour and you will get along just fine, even at 110 degrees.

[Finny]

YOU'RE LIVING IN A #@$%ING DESERT!!!

*shaking head*

Thanks! I needed that!

[machogirl]

agree, i live in chandler

[boop]

LOL! Sam Kinison: “We have deserts in America, we just don’t live in ‘em a$$hole!”

[Teen Challenge Republican]

I live in Mesa!

[Intolerant in NJ]

In part because of heavy growth – particularly in the Phoenix metro area – heat is being reflected, trapped, and absorbed in concrete, rooftops, and a maze of buildings that blocks wind. At the same time, there's little vegetation to absorb the heat, and high energy usage generates more...thought the latest thing was "Smart Planning" - cramming people together in restricted areas to provide more "efficient" use of land, more convenient access to amenities and less need for long commutes - doesn't sound so smart when this aspect is considered.....

[machogirl]

welcome to free republic and didn’t that storm look great while it was building, and then what a dud

[Lorianne]

I don’t think Phoenix, with it’s thousands of acres of strip center shopping malls and parking lots is an example of “smart planning”.

[Teen Challenge Republican]

Yes, seems to happen all too frequently. God’s awesome fireworks display and then...NOTHING...LOL.

[McGavin999]

No actually I have lived in this desert my entire life. Yes, it's always been hot here, but it used to cool off at night. Also, in August, you could almost tell the time by the afternoon showers that hit every day around 4:00.

The zoning departments insisted that every building built had a certain number of parking spots available. Now they have FINALLY figured out that is what is trapping the heat. Phoenix also used to be surrounded by acres and acres of farmland. Cotton fields, veggie fields etc. absorbed the daytime heat allowing the night time temps to be almost acceptable.