Glossary
Urban heat islands

Surface energy balance

Net energy exchange (expressed in flux densities in W · m^–2) by radiation, conduction and convection between a land surface and the atmosphere.

Causes; causes

Parameters that play an essential role in modifying the microclimate, and thus in the existence of the urban heat island phenomenon.

Climat urbain; urban climate

Climate of an area influenced mainly by the presence of a town or city.

Control factors

Factors influencing the amplitude of an urban heat island.

Surface heat island; Îlot de chaleur de surface

Temperature difference between urban and rural surfaces.

Îlot de chaleur souterrain; subsurface heat island

Temperature difference between the ground beneath cities, including urban soils and underground building materials, on the one hand, and rural soils on the other.

Îlot...