The Impact of a Medium-sized Town and University Campus on the Local Surface Temperature Distributions

In the past, there have been studies which have examined the well-known impact of urban areas on the surface and lower tropospheric temperature distributions in the atmosphere. Even fewer have examined the impact of smaller urban areas on the local temperature or precipitation measurements. This study examines the combined impact of a medium sized urban area (Columbia, MO) and the University of Missouri on the surface temperature and precipitation distributions. Several students and faculty members, who live inside and outside the immediate area, are participating in this study. Each was provided with a thermometer and some with rain guages. Initial results demonstrate that the combined urban area and campus does lead to a spacially varying 1 - 3 C increase in temperatures over the surrounding environment. This effect also varies with respect to the prevailing synoptic-scale conditions. Finally, this ongoing study hopes to indentify seasonal variability in the urban heat-island effect in mid-Missouri.