Features

Luke Howard and the urban heat island phenomenon

29 November 2022
3 Min Read

The pioneering meteorologist was the first to measure the urban heat island phenomenon, based on observations made in Tottenham
By Gerald Mills

Credit: Mario La Pergola via Unsplash
Credit: Mario La Pergola via Unsplash

Over the past summer, many will have become very familiar with the urban heat island (UHI) phenomenon, which describes the fact that cities are generally warmer than the surrounding natural landscape. The UHI is pronounced in clear and calm and dry conditions and is strongest in the centre of cities, where there is little green cover and buildings are taller and closer than suburban areas. During heatwave events when air temperatures are much higher than normal, the UHI elevates heat stress for residents and workers, which can have severe public health outcomes. In fact, much of the effort to green cities is designed to reduce the impact of heatwaves and the UHI by providing ‘cool’ outdoor spaces. What few realise is that the impact of cities on climate was first measured and analysed by Luke Howard, who lived in Tottenham until his death in 1864. 

Howard was the first person to conduct scientific observations on the climate of cities (urban climatology). Much of this work can be found in his monumental work The Climate of London, which was published in three volumes between 1818 and 1833. The first volume provides his analysis of data and reports that are tabulated and organised in volumes two and three. These data consisted of measured atmospheric properties recorded twice daily in Tottenham and Stratford, both described as near London, that is, in the ‘country’.

As part of his analyses, Howard found that his observations differed from those recorded by the Royal Society in the city of London: he concluded that “we find London always warmer than the country, the average excess of its temperature being 1.579°F [0.88°C]”. In short, he was the first to measure the UHI. However, what sets his work apart is his analysis of the UHI phenomenon. He identifies the temporal pattern (concluding that it is mostly a night-time event), deduces that the magnitude must be greatest in the centre of the city and correctly identifies nearly all of the causes. It would be more than 150 years later before these insights could be tested by others with more sophisticated tools.

The genius of Howard’s cloud classification scheme is that it provides a visual description of cloud types that are universally recognisable and linked to underlying atmospheric processes. The same intellect is evident in the pages of Climate, where his rigorous approach to measurement and analysis revealed the UHI phenomenon and its causes. For this reason, Luke Howard is recognised by the International Association for Urban Climates (IAUC) as the father of urban climate science.

No news is bad news 

Independent news outlets like ours – reporting for the community without rich backers – are under threat of closure, turning British towns into news deserts. 

The audiences they serve know less, understand less, and can do less. 

If our coverage has helped you understand our community a little bit better, please consider supporting us with a monthly, or one-off donation. 

Choose the news. Don’t lose the news.

Monthly direct debit 

Donate now with Pay Pal

More information on supporting us monthly 

More Information about donations

Tags
FacebookXPinterestLinkedInRedditEmailWhatsApp

1,389 Comments

Click here to post a comment

AdBlocker Message

Haringey Community Press is partly supported by displaying online advertisements to our visitors. If you value our news stories, supporting us in another way helps us to continue publishing the news you love.