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heat island

[ heet ahy-luhnd ]

noun

  1. an urban area having a higher average temperature than its rural surroundings owing to the greater absorption, retention, and generation of heat by its buildings, pavements, and human activities.


heat-island

noun

  1. meteorol the mass of air over a large city, characteristically having a slightly higher average temperature than that of the surrounding air
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Word History and Origins

Origin of heat island1

First recorded in 1960–65
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Example Sentences

Urban green spaces provide shade for city dwellers facing rising temperatures brought on by climate change, but how much relief from the heat island effect do they provide when humidity is factored in?

It’s called the heat island effect, where the effect of rising temperatures is worsened when the heat and sunlight are amplified and reflected back into the environment by the concrete, cement and glass used to build structures.

From BBC

That’s created a heat island effect that’s raised local temperatures by several degrees on top of global warming, he said.

“If we reduce the size of roads considerably and devote more of what’s there to bicycle transportation and buses and public transportation, we will be mitigating the urban heat island,” she said.

Trees also help counteract the urban heat island effect, by which concrete, brick, asphalt and other hard surfaces absorb and reflect heat, increasing local temperatures by as much as 7 degrees.

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