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Recent evidence suggests that many densely populated areas of the world will be uninhabitable in the coming century due to the depletion of resources, climate change, and increasing urbanization. This poses serious questions regarding the actions that require immediate attention, and opportunities to stave off massive losses of infrastructure, popu...
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... mean radiant temperatures (MRT) do not show much difference within each site, they do show interesting differences between the sites (Table 3). The coastal site has a somewhat higher MRT in the early morning, especially compared to the developing site, but has the lowest MRT at midday: 7.7 • C cooler than the highly urbanized site, and over 4 • C cooler than the developing site at 14:00. ...
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... In addition to the prominent effects of UHI, further extensive research has explored the impacts of urban form, vegetation areas, and impermeable surfaces on the local urban climate in the Middle East. A representative example is Ferwati et al. (2019) who employed microclimate modeling techniques to investigate the impact of landscape characteristics on ambient temperatures in Doha, Qatar. Also, Manandhar et al. (2019) categorized Abu Dhabi into local climate zones (LCZs) by analyzing Landsat images in order to evaluate urban heat patterns. ...
This study examined urban heat dynamics in 21 major Middle Eastern cities from 2003 to 2019. Changes in daytime and nighttime land surface temperature (LST) during summertime were assessed using the least squares regression model. The most pronounced increase in LST was found in Gulf and Arabian Peninsula cities, while higher altitude cities (e.g., Beirut and Sanaa) showed the least warming. The increase in nighttime LST was higher than daytime LST, especially in inland cities. Heat stress exposure was assessed using hot/cold spot categories. Over 11 million people in megacities are at risk of heat stress. Our findings show that most cities had significant day-night thermal risk distribution differences, with heat stress being more common in central urban areas at night and in urban periphery during daytime. City nighttime LST may serve as a more reliable indicator of anthropogenic climate change compared to daytime LST effects, which primarily result from physical factors such as the inflow of hot air from nearby deserts. Also, while built-up areas correlated with hot/cold spots in most cities, a complex relationship exists between vegetation and hot/cold spot patterns. Our study emphasizes well-informed urban planning and adaptable mitigation strategies to protect urban populations from heat stress.
... In addition to the prominent effects of UHI, further extensive research has explored the impacts of urban form, vegetation areas, and impermeable surfaces on the local urban climate in the Middle East. A representative example is Ferwati et al. (2019) who employed microclimate modeling techniques to investigate the impact of landscape characteristics on ambient temperatures in Doha, Qatar. Also, Manandhar et al. (2019) categorized Abu Dhabi into local climate zones (LCZs) by analyzing Landsat images in order to evaluate urban heat patterns. ...
This study examined urban heat dynamics in 21 major Middle Eastern cities from 2003 to 2019. Changes in daytime and nighttime land surface temperature (LST) during summertime were assessed using the least squares regression model. The most pronounced increase in LST was found in Gulf and Arabian Peninsula cities, while higher altitude cities (e.g., Beirut and Sanaa) showed the least warming. The increase in nighttime LST was higher than daytime LST, especially in inland cities. Heat stress exposure was assessed using hot/cold spot categories. Over 11 million people in megacities are at risk of heat stress. Our findings show that most cities had significant day-night thermal risk distribution differences, with heat stress being more common in central urban areas at night and in urban periphery during daytime. City nighttime LST may serve as a more reliable indicator of anthropogenic climate change compared to daytime LST effects, which primarily result from physical factors such as the inflow of hot air from nearby deserts. Also, while built-up areas correlated with hot/cold spots in most cities, a complex relationship exists between vegetation and hot/cold spot patterns. Our study emphasizes well-informed urban planning and adaptable mitigation strategies to protect urban populations from heat stress.
... Relatedly, since the country is expected to witness more hot days and heat waves, cases of heat-or sun-stroke, cardiovascular disease, respiratory issues, decreased kidney function, adverse birth outcomes, and vector-borne disease are expected to increase among the population (Ferwati et al., 2019;Alsheyab, 2017;Cheng et al., 2017;Fragu et al., 2009;Husain and Chaudhary, 2008). Climatic changes are also suggested to contribute to the emergence and rapid spread of epidemic diseases in the region (Buliva et al., 2017). ...
... Moreover, the increased frequency and intensity of dust storms would lead to more motor vehicle accidents, and medical facilities would be experiencing a surge in respiratory, vehicular trauma and ophthalmic cases that could sometimes be beyond those facilities' capacity (Middleton et al., 2021). All of these health consequences will also have economic impacts (Ferwati et al., 2019). ...
... Evidence on the impacts of climatic changes on human health highlights similar interconnections between risks. The threats extend beyond increases in health issues and the spread of various diseases to burdens on the health system and adverse influences on economic productivity (Middleton et al., 2021;Ferwati et al., 2019;Alsheyab, 2017;Buliva et al., 2017;Cheng et al., 2017;Al-Mohannadi et al., 2016;Fragu et al., 2009;Husain and Chaudhary, 2008). The existing evidence base also reflects on the threat climate change poses on food supply chains for Qatar as a country that imports the vast majority of its food, and the vulnerability to impacts of supply chain disruptions elsewhere (Ben Hassen et al., 2020;Ajibade et al., 2020). ...
The impacts of climate change vary by location and severity, will be experienced over a range of timescales, and governments are not equally able to respond to risks and hazards in the same way. Yet, despite the rapid expansion of climate-related evidence, few studies categorize risks and hazards to support better-informed decision-making regarding the prioritization of action and investment. This paper develops a risk categorization tool and decision support heuristic, applied to the specific challenges faced in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region, and specifically in the State of Qatar. Drawing on expert assessment, the results of this study allow decision-makers to compare risks and hazards when making decisions about resource allocation and policy interventions. The results represent a localized categorization of climate risks and a comparative assessment based on three criteria. Standardized global assessments were used to validate the results. While the application of this study is specific to one country, the methodology and assessment approach could be applied in other contexts to enable more evidence-informed decision-making.
... Planting street trees close to buildings on east-west streets can provide better thermal comfort [12]. In a study of three different types of blocks in Doha, Ferwati found that the most effective solution to improve the thermal environment was to add mature trees on both sides of the road, and emphasize the necessity of shading measures outdoors leisure areas [13]. Tan carried out tree planting design strategies and found that roadside trees can provide a comfortable summer microclimate in a subtropical city with high-density buildings in Hong Kong [14]. ...
A block is an urban construction of land surrounded by roads and its internal buildings and environment. It is an essential element of modern cities and the most direct way to perceive the urban living environment. The thermal comfort of a block is a crucial indicator for building a healthy and comfortable urban life. This study examined Dalian, a cold-region city in China, to put forward research on thermal comfort improvement strategies. In this paper, four typical blocks were selected to simulate the microclimate by ENVI-met, and the physiological equivalent temperature (PET) was calculated. Through the simplified model, the thermal comfort building strategy suitable for Dalian was explored, and the effectiveness was verified. The results show that direct solar radiation and wind speed are the critical factors for the thermal comfort of the settlements residents. The building orientation, sunshine spacing coefficient, and building layout will affect the thermal environment of the block through these two factors. The outdoor thermal environment in Dalian can be improved by adjusting the orientation of buildings away from the traditional south direction, increasing the sunshine spacing coefficient, dislocating buildings, or adopting a peripheral-type building layout. This study can provide a scientific basis for building healthy and comfortable urban living environments and block development and renovation decisions.
... Urban planning, mitigation and intervention efforts can help mitigate the UHI effect. This can be done, for example, by increasing green vegetation in urban areas or by planting trees along roadsides in dry areas (e.g., [101]). However, as noted by [102], there is no one mitigation solution that fits all cases, and any mitigation must consider the specific characteristics of the specific geographic area. ...
Urban Heat Islands (UHIs) and Urban Cool Islands (UCIs) can be measured by means of in situ measurements and interpolation methods, which often require densely distributed networks of sensors and can be time-consuming, expensive and in many cases infeasible. The use of satellite data to estimate Land Surface Temperature (LST) and spectral indices such as the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) has emerged in the last decade as a promising technique to map Surface Urban Heat Islands (SUHIs), primarily at large geographical scales. Furthermore, thermal comfort, the subjective perception and experience of humans of micro-climates, is also an important component of UHIs. It remains unanswered whether LST can be used to predict thermal comfort. The objective of this study is to evaluate the accuracy of remotely sensed data, including a derived LST, at a small geographical scale, in the case study of King Abdulaziz University (KAU) campus (Jeddah, Saudi Arabia) and four surrounding neighborhoods. We evaluate the potential use of LST estimates as proxy for air temperature (Tair) and thermal comfort. We estimate LST based on Land-sat-8 measurements, Tair and other climatological parameters by means of in situ measurements and subjective thermal comfort by means of a Physiological Equivalent Temperature (PET) model. We find a significant correlation (r = 0.45, p < 0.001) between LST and mean Tair and the compatibility of LST and Tair as equivalent measures using Bland-Altman analysis. We evaluate several models with LST, NDVI, and Normalized Difference Built-up Index (NDBI) as data inputs to proxy Tair and find that they achieve error rates across metrics that are two orders of magnitude below that of a comparison with LST and Tair alone. We also find that, using only remotely sensed data, including LST, NDVI, and NDBI, random forest classifiers can detect sites with "very hot" classification of thermal comfort nearly as effectively as estimates using in situ data, with one such model attaining an F1 score of 0.65. This study demonstrates the potential use of remotely sensed measurements to infer the Physiological Equivalent Temperature (PET) and subjective thermal comfort at small geographical scales as well as the impacts of land cover and land use characteristics on UHI and UCI. Such insights are fundamental for sustainable urban planning and would contribute enormously to urban planning that considers people's well-being and comfort.
... nearby rural area [22][23][24]. This urban warming can be hazardous but is not necessarily intractable; local temperatures can be altered for better or worse as a result of local land cover (LC), landscaping, and design decisions [25][26][27][28][29][30]. The identification of profoundly elevated urban temperatures in combination with present climate change and increased frequency and severity of urban heat waves has heralded much recent research into their cause, dynamics, and amelioration. ...
The urban heat island (UHI) concept describes heat trapping that elevates urban temperatures relative to rural temperatures, at least in temperate/humid regions. In drylands, urban irrigation can instead produce an urban cool island (UCI) effect. However, the UHI/UCI characterization suffers from uncertainty in choosing representative urban/rural endmembers, an artificial dichotomy between UHIs and UCIs, and lack of consistent terminology for other patterns of thermal variation at nested scales. We use the case of a historically well-enforced urban growth boundary (UGB) around Portland (Oregon, USA): to explore the representativeness of the surface temperature UHI (SUHI) as derived from Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) land surface temperature data, to test common assumptions of characteristically “warm” or “cool” land covers (LCs), and to name other common urban thermal features of interest. We find that the UGB contains heat as well as sprawl, inducing a sharp surface temperature contrast across the urban/rural boundary. The contrast ranges widely depending on the end-members chosen, across a spectrum from positive (SUHI) to negative (SUCI) values. We propose a new, inclusive “urban thermal deviation” (UTD) term to span the spectrum of possible UHI-zero-UCI conditions. We also distinguish at finer scales “microthermal extremes” (MTEs), discrete areas tending in the same thermal direction as their LC or surroundings but to extreme (hot or cold) values, and microthermal anomalies (MTAs), that run counter to thermal expectations or tendencies for their LC or surroundings. The distinction is important because MTEs suggest a need for moderation in the local thermal landscape, whereas MTAs may suggest solutions.
Due to its importance, the field of urban heat islands (UHIs) has witnessed an increasing trend of interest over time to many scientists on the international level. Consequently, large number of papers has been published aiming at reviewing the literature about UHIs internationally. However, this topic started to attract attention of researchers in the Arab world only relatively recently. Hence, the major goal of the present endeavor is to narratively review the literature about UHIs in the Arab world. The focus is on two significant aspects of UHIs: (1) determination of UHIs and (2) assessment of the impacts of UHIs. The results of this review exposed to the surface the historical development, current status, and future prospects of literature about determination and assessment of the impacts of UHIs in the Arab world. The research about this specific topic in the Arab world can be described as still in its infancy stage with huge gaps still exist and more further studies are needed.
Due to insufficient records and limited number of weather stations, prediction models must be used to forecast local climate conditions. Accurate prediction is required in the case of emerging cities because rapid growth in urban development causes changes in the attributes of the urban environment, particularly the local microclimate. With the help of the Urban Weather Generator (UWG) and a locally established weather station, this research explores the validity of UWG processed open weather data (i.e., World Weather Online and Open Weather Map datasets). The Marina district in the city of Lusail near Doha, Qatar, saw a 26% increase in temperature prediction accuracy. A more detailed analysis of a representative residential building load prediction reveals that cooling estimate gaps are reduced by 2.7% to 7.3% when compared to the underestimated loads from the rural weather dataset. The impact of urban morphology on urban climate is further studied. The results show that increasing building construction, which results in increased building footprint density in the studied area, increases cooling consumption of the representative residential building by more than 11000 kWh under certain conditions. Whereas, increase in greenery only results in savings of around 250 kWh. Additionally, a uniform random sensitivity analysis of 10 UWG characteristics showed that cooling consumption can vary between 10,000 kWh and 47,500 kWh compared to the predicted cooling consumption when the baseline weather dataset is used.
