Observation of the vertical structure of atmospheric boundary layer in subtropical UHI by radiosonde

Abstract

Existing studies on the urban heat island (UHI) effect tend to focus on the planar scale. However, the UHI effect has obvious three-dimensional properties. This research focuses on the vertical structure of UHI. The study combined big data from sounding balloon and surface measurements in the Database for Atmospheric and Hydrologic Research, Taiwan. Data organization and classification were conducted using the Python programming language, the NumPy mathematical function library, and the Pandas data manipulation library. Results confirmed the existence of the atmospheric boundary layer and the canopy. Furthermore, the temperature inversion of the atmospheric boundary layer fell between heights of 130 m and 667 m. The height of the inversion is affected by the wind speed and cloudiness. Thereby demonstrating that the inversion fluctuates with weather scenario changes. The research results can be applied as the direction of urban planning thinking for urban heat island countermeasures.