Global long-term mapping of surface temperature shows intensified intra-city urban heat island extremes

The Surface Urban Heat Island (SUHI) increases the risk of heat-related human illnesses and mortality. Previous global studies analysed this phenomenon aggregated at city scale or over seasonal and annual time periods, while human impacts strongly depend on shorter term heat stress experienced locally. Results published in the journal; Global Environmental Change, show that across urban areas worldwide over the period 2003–2020, 3-day SUHI extremes are on average more than twice as high as the warm-season median SUHI.

Read further on the Disaster Risk Management Knowledge Centre website of the European Commission.