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heat island
[ heet ahy-luhnd ]
noun
- an urban area having a higher average temperature than its rural surroundings owing to the greater absorption, retention, and generation of heat by its buildings, pavements, and human activities.
heat-island
noun
- meteorol the mass of air over a large city, characteristically having a slightly higher average temperature than that of the surrounding air
Word History and Origins
Origin of heat island1
Example Sentences
Planting more trees and green space can lower the urban heat island effect by several degrees.
Satellites can image heat islands from space, recording how their temperatures rise and fall.
At the same time, residents of urban heat islands are less likely to have air conditioning.
When I spoke to him last year for a story about heat islands in Phoenix, Hondula explained that low-income people of color are more likely to live in neighborhoods with little vegetation that are next to highways and industrial areas.
Creating more parks and planting vegetation in public spaces, especially in heat island neighborhoods, helps to bring temperatures down, Hondula said.
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