Urban climates and heat islands: albedo, evapotranspiration, and anthropogenic heat

As an introduction to this special issue on urban heat islands and cool communities, this paper reviews some of the characteristics of urban climates and the causes and effects of urban heat islands. In particular, the impacts of surface albedo, evapotranspiration, and anthropogenic heating on the near-surface climate are discussed. Numerical simulations and field measurements indicate that increasing albedo and vegetation cover can be effective in reducing the surface and air temperatures near the ground.