Diurnal and seasonal dynamics of the canopy‐layer urban heat island of Kuwait

• Published in: International journal of climatology Vol. 44; no. 11; pp. 3930 - 3954
• Main Authors: AlKhaled, Saud R., Brazel, Anthony J., Balling, Robert C.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Chichester, UK John Wiley & Sons, Ltd 01.09.2024; Wiley Subscription Services, Inc
• Subjects: Air temperature; Breeze effects; Canopies; Canopy; Clear sky; Climate models; Climatology; Diurnal; Heat; hyper‐arid urban climate; Island effects; Kuwait; Land breezes; Plant cover; Seasonal variations; Spatial variability; Spatial variations; Summer; Surface temperature; Surface-air temperature relationships; temperature; Urban areas; Urban climate models; Urban climates; urban heat island; Urban heat islands; Urban planning; Weather forecasting; Wind effects; Wind speed; Kuwait
• ISSN: 0899-8418; 1097-0088
• DOI: 10.1002/joc.8560

This study examines the temporal and spatial variability of near‐surface air temperature and the canopy layer urban heat island (UHICL) of Kuwait City. Observations collected at 12 locations across the country of Kuwait and for the period 2010–2022 are analysed on an hourly and 3‐hourly basis to provide monthly and diurnal insights of the city's UHICL characteristics. Research on Kuwait's UHICL was first conducted by Nasrallah et al. (International Journal of Climatology, 10, 401–405). Results presented here have been afforded the benefit of additional stations and more extensive data compared with the earlier study. Mean positive UHICL intensities, ranging from 1.1°C to 3.8°C at night, are observed consistently across all months, owing to the prevalence of clear skies from winter to summer. Negative UHICL intensities, indicating a typical daytime urban cool island (UCICL), are most prominent on summer days, exhibiting a mean hourly magnitude range between 0.6°C and 2.6°C that extends into the early parts of the evening. Heat and cool island effects are maintained up to wind speeds approaching 10 m s−1 at the urban periphery. A coastal site near the city demonstrates strong influences of the Arabian Gulf temperatures and associated sea and land breeze effects on UHICL development. The results can be used for comparison with other desert locales, in the evaluation of urban climate models, for urban planning policies and improving local weather forecasts. This study honours in memoriam Dr. Hassan Nasrallah, who produced the first UHICL study in the Arab World. The present study provides an investigation of spatiotemporal dynamics in near‐surface air temperature and the canopy layer urban heat island (UHICL) across Kuwait City. Analysis of hourly and 3‐hourly observations from 2010 to 2022 revealed monthly and diurnal insights into the UHICL characteristics, including magnitudes, growth/decay patterns, and explanations for warming/cooling rates.