AIR-TEMPERATURE SINGULARITIES AND DIFFERENCES BETWEEN INTRA- AND EXTRA-URBAN WEATHER STATIONS. CASE STUDY: BUCHAREST-FILARET AND BUCHAREST-BĂNEASA

Abstract

It is already a well-known fact that air-temperature is the most important climatic factor of differentiation between intra- and extra-urban areas, mainly due to the characteristics of the underlying active surface. Bucharest town-area is no exception to the rule. Ranking as Romania’s largest city, its air-temperature singularities and differences account for the most important example expressing the role that the artificial ground layer may play in the creation of specific urban climates. The thermal differences as well as singularities between the Bucharest town-area (Bucharest-Filaret) and its surroundings (Bucharest-Băneasa) are analyzed by means of multiple air-temperature parameters: hourly measurements (01, 07, 13 and 19 hrs.), daily, monthly, yearly values of maximum, average and minimum means, over a 30 year period (1981-2010). Besides, the analysis of some air-temperature singularities or records highlight the clear differences of air heating processes, mostly due to the different interaction patterns between solar radiation and the underlying active layer, at local scales. However, in general, although the intra-urban areas should keep warmer in summer and cooler in winter, the cooling effects seem to still remain lower in the city because of the greater artificial heat input that is being added to the built-in environment.