Classification of Urban Heat Island Effects on Tropospheric Ozone Production using Meteorological and Remote Sensing Data

This study seeks to assess how Urban Heat Island impacts ozone production in San Jose, CA and Huntsville, AL. The case study evaluates correlations of variables that contribute to ozone production. Terra satellite observations and meteorological stations provide the data to assess ozone influences. Ground-level ozone in urban areas is influenced by radiation, weather conditions, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). With the exception of cloudy days, radiation is a consistent factor spatially. Synoptic weather conditions were assessed to see if a high pressure system, inversion layer, cloud coverage, or winds are changing the amount of ozone. Three non-consecutive days in the summer were chosen based on removing synoptic conditions as a variable. Urban Heat Island (UHI) is the phenomenon of temperatures reflecting higher values in urban versus rural areas, primarily due to urbanization of vegetated land. UHI is expected to increase ozone development with VOCs. Trends in UHI magnitude and VOC quantity are compared to the hourly ozone amount; results are then analyzed to determine significant correlations. The determined correlation is compared to the National Land Cover Database (NLCD) and corresponding land surface temperature (LST) to assess how spatially representative the results are to the urban area. Sustainability efforts in cities can utilize the results as a guiding principle for future development.