In the map below, urban centers are visibly hotter because of the urban heat island effect. At night, temperatures observed are different because surfaces like buildings, roads, and other urban landforms slowly release the heat absorbed during the day. LST measurements depend on the time of the day and help in identifying urban heat pockets. Map shows daytime land surface temperature for the last week of April. For example, even with similar air temperatures, areas with higher green cover would have lower surface temperatures during daytime as compared to a concrete or tar road. It could be vegetation, types of roofs, tar or pavement materials, water, etc., and hence is useful in understanding the urban heat island effect.
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LST is a measure of interaction as it indicates the skin temperature of materials above the Earth’s surface. And for a specific duration, it provides a wider spatial coverage of heat measurements that differs from the one based on-air temperature at the time of observation. Land Surface Temperature (LST) is derived from satellite observations. Map shows maximum air temperatures in India on April 30. These high temperatures did not just impact human health but also affected power consumption patterns. This year around 82 crore people faced 40 degrees C, and 99 crore people faced 38 degrees C on the single day of April 30 alone. The most common way of reporting heat in India is based on maximum air temperatures. It is, therefore, necessary while measuring a heatwave to use various metrics, indices, and methodologies to get better insights into the spatiotemporal nature of heat.Īnimation shows the forecasted air temperature for April 30.
And not just the heatwave but its effects have several dimensions as well, with respect to human health, economic activity etc. Hence its measurement must also be dynamic. Heat has a dynamism spatially, temporally, and in its interaction with materials. But heatwaves are so much more dynamic and complex that traditional methods of reporting them, purely based on absolute air temperatures, might be insufficient. This year India witnessed an early intense heatwave where around a billion people were exposed to temperatures more than 40 degrees C in the month of April itself.
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