Role of urban morphology in development of the thermal excess in the city of debrecen, hungary

Abstract

The thermal excess in a settlement compared to its rural environment is called urban heat island (UHI). It has a significant effect on human comfort in open urban spaces and indoor environment. UHI intensities (the thermal difference between the settlement and its close-to natural environment) are determined by buildup characteristics of settlements as static endowments and synoptic weather conditions as dynamic factors. Effects of build-up characteristics are traced in the case of the city of Debrecen in East Hungary, in the present study. Debrecen is located on a nearly flat terrain, without rivers and lakes, which are favorable conditions from the aspect of UHI development. Mobile techniques were used in order to get abundant comparable data on the characteristics of the UHI in the city. On the base of the results spatial characteristics of UHI in Debrecen are described. Characteristic maximal UHI intensities have been determined for typical urban morphological units of the city.