ANTHROPOGENIC HEAT EMISSION IN THE CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICT OF SINGAPORE

Abstract

Many countries in the world are facing the problem of Urban Heat Island (UHI) effect where the built-up environment experiences a higher air temperature than its rural surroundings. This is mainly caused by human activities, which releases anthropogenic heat. The problem is expected to worsen as more areas in the world are getting urbanized. While many studies have been conducted in temperate countries in Europe and America, few have been conducted in tropical regions like Singapore. In this paper, the sources of anthropogenic heat and the effect of urban morphologies such as building height-to-width (HW) ratio will be examined using both qualitative and quantitative methods. This is done by conducting experiments in different locations around the Central Business District (CBD) area at both the pedestrian (1.5m) and street levels (3.5m). Some of the parameters measured are air temperature, wind speed, pollutant (gaseous and aeorosol / particulate matter) concentrations. The relationship between air temperature and other parameters such as particulate matter (PM) are analysed and the results can be used for future planning in urban areas to reduce the overall heat level.