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Florance
Abstract and Intro Video:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1T3JJSYEK2DRny8PBRJqEPn_9VlMo4ogQ/view?usp=sharing
Figure 1: Location references for the three selected locations. Location 1 is in the Belcher apartment complexes’ man made urban garden. Location 2 is a fully urban location with very minimal greenery. Location 3 is on a rural hiking trail with very minimal human interference or pollution.
Figure 2: Location 1, the urban garden.
Figure 3: Location 2, the urban area.
Figure 4: Location 3, the natural rural area.
Materials and Methods:
1.mp42.mp4Using two HOBO Data Logging sensors, the light levels of these two areas throughout 24 hours were compared and found to be similar enough to be suitable for our investigation. Both sensors were fixed to the ground surface of its location and were positioned in the correct direction to ensure the same levels of sunlight. The sensors were left for a period of three days, with the sensor taking in temperature and light levels every twenty minutes. Over this time, periodic check-ins on the sensors were made to ensure they were left undisturbed and were in their correct positions. The data was then exported to Microsoft Excel. The sensor location shown in the urban garden video was shifted in the process of taking the video, and was not covered by plants during the data collection.
Results:
Figure 5: Temperature (°C) of the first two locations from April 17th 6:00 PM to April 19 6:00PM. Temperature was taken every twenty minutes.
Discussion and Conclusion:
This project studied the temperature levels of two similar urban areas in Hong Kong, with the difference being that one of them contained an urban garden. A light sensor was used to ensure that both areas received the same amount of sunlight over the day to ensure as similar two areas as possible. The visible higher temperatures of the urban area without the garden compared to the garden area support the hypothesis presented at the beginning of this report that urban gardens able to lower the temperature of the area. The greenery and water in the gardens are able to absorb visible light as they do photosynthesis, therefore reducing the available energy to be radiated back later as IR heat.
Because conventional human made materials used in urban infrastructures reflect less solar energy and absorb and emit more of the sun's heat compared to natural vegetation and water, heat islands tend to build their temperature throughout the day and become more pronounced after the sunsets because of their slow heat release. The pronounced increase of heat past sunset (~7pm) to sunrise (~6am) of the urban area compared to the urban garden supports this idea.
However, more data sets involving different locations should be conducted in order to better understand the many factors that impact the temperature of urban environments. The shapes and spacings of tall buildings within a city tend to change wind flow and affect the urban surface's ability to absorb and release solar energy. Areas obstructed by neighbouring buildings tend to build up thermal energy faster and can not release their heat as readily, creating smaller pockets of heat. Cities with tall buildings and narrow alleyways block wind flow that would cool down their surroundings. The interaction of this and Hong Kong's geography of natural mountain inclines which buildings are built upon should be studied for further understanding. Because temperature can vary largely inside a city due to factors like uneven distribution of heat absorbing surfaces and green parks, further investigation into a wider range of areas should be conducted.
This projected was conducted in order to better understand the Urban Heat Island phenomenon and other varying facts that impact temperature in urban environments. As the temperature of our planet increases due to human activity, understanding how this happens and what can be done to prevent it is crucial to our planet's survival.
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