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Article

An Urban Climate Paradox of Anthropogenic Heat Flux and Urban Cool Island in a Semi-Arid Urban Environment

1
Urban and Regional Studies Department, Indian Institute of Remote Sensing, Indian Space Research Organisation, Dehradun 248001, India
2
Center for Technological Alternatives for Rural Areas (CTARA), Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Bombay 400076, India
3
Department of Geography, Lalbaba College, University of Calcutta, Kolkata 711202, India
4
Centre for Environmental Planning and Technology, Ahmedabad 380009, India
5
World Resources Institute, New Delhi 110016, India
6
Royal Meteorological Institute of Belgium, 1180 Brussels, Belgium
*
Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Atmosphere 2025, 16(2), 151; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos16020151
Submission received: 21 December 2024 / Revised: 21 January 2025 / Accepted: 23 January 2025 / Published: 29 January 2025
(This article belongs to the Section Biometeorology and Bioclimatology)

Abstract

The rapid urbanization of Jaipur has profoundly altered its urban climate, driven by anthropogenic heat flux (AF) and shifts in surface energy dynamics. This study leverages remote sensing techniques, utilizing Landsat data, to quantify AF and assess its influence on the city’s climate. The findings reveal a striking paradox; despite a significant rise in AF from 127.31 W/m2 in 1993 to 201.82 W/m2 in 2020, Jaipur exhibits an anomalous urban cool island (UCI) effect during the daytime. In this phenomenon, surrounding fallow lands experience higher land surface temperatures (LSTs) than the urban core, defying the typical urban heat island (UHI) effect observed in most cities worldwide. This paradox is especially pronounced in semi-arid urban environments, where factors such as limited vegetation, arid conditions, and water scarcity intricately shape peculiar thermal behaviour. This study further highlights the role of urban expansion, with built-up areas growing from 11.95% in 1993 to 19% in 2020, intensifying AF. Notably, the latent heat flux was highest in vegetated areas, significantly reducing LSTs by facilitating evapotranspiration. Daytime surface temperatures have surged significantly, with temperatures ranging from 26–46.9 °C in 1993 to 31–56.5 °C in 2020, indicating an overall increase in surface heat intensity. Despite these increases, the UCI effect remains observable, further illustrating the cooling potential of urban vegetation. This study offers novel insights into the intricate dynamics of urban heat in semi-arid cities, providing refined perspectives on urban heat mitigation strategies and climate adaptation, with implications for future sustainable urban planning and environmental management.
Keywords: land surface temperature; anthropogenic heat flux; surface energy balance; urban cool island land surface temperature; anthropogenic heat flux; surface energy balance; urban cool island

Share and Cite

MDPI and ACS Style

Siddiqui, A.; Maske, A.B.; Khan, A.; Kar, A.; Bhatt, M.; Bharadwaj, V.; Kant, Y.; Hamdi, R. An Urban Climate Paradox of Anthropogenic Heat Flux and Urban Cool Island in a Semi-Arid Urban Environment. Atmosphere 2025, 16, 151. https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos16020151

AMA Style

Siddiqui A, Maske AB, Khan A, Kar A, Bhatt M, Bharadwaj V, Kant Y, Hamdi R. An Urban Climate Paradox of Anthropogenic Heat Flux and Urban Cool Island in a Semi-Arid Urban Environment. Atmosphere. 2025; 16(2):151. https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos16020151

Chicago/Turabian Style

Siddiqui, Asfa, Ambadas B. Maske, Ansar Khan, Ananya Kar, Manushi Bhatt, Vinamra Bharadwaj, Yogesh Kant, and Rafiq Hamdi. 2025. "An Urban Climate Paradox of Anthropogenic Heat Flux and Urban Cool Island in a Semi-Arid Urban Environment" Atmosphere 16, no. 2: 151. https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos16020151

APA Style

Siddiqui, A., Maske, A. B., Khan, A., Kar, A., Bhatt, M., Bharadwaj, V., Kant, Y., & Hamdi, R. (2025). An Urban Climate Paradox of Anthropogenic Heat Flux and Urban Cool Island in a Semi-Arid Urban Environment. Atmosphere, 16(2), 151. https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos16020151

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