What is it about?
It is known that cities can cause temperature change which we refer to as 'Urban Heat Island'. In this study we show that we also have a global signature of Urban Rainfall or Precipitation Anomaly i.e. cities can have disproportionately higher rainfall relative to its rural settings.
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Photo by Oluwakamiye Adelemoni on Unsplash
Why is it important?
Many cities have been experiencing bouts of floods. Cities are also preparing to address current and future water needs. Understanding that in addition to the largescale changes in the climate, the manner in which cities themselves are changing these rainfall extremes can help start a more deliberate discussion about how cities can be designed, how green infrastructure in the cities can be planned which is not only for reducing the heat but also help with the water management aspects by considering how the cities can change rains.
Perspectives
We have an increasingly good focus on cooling the cities. New materials are being developed, shading is part of the solution with greening of cities. Looking in to the future, we will need to start actively thinking can we do something different in the cities that can help us recharge our water resources through considerations such as how can rains change when we develop the city? This is possible because the science is increasingly clear how cities can affect rains. Developing this holistic adaptation and urban planning - climate solution pathway should be part of cities water and climate master plans.
Dev Niyogi
University of Texas at Austin
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Global scale assessment of urban precipitation anomalies, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, September 2024, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences,
DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2311496121.
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