Wen-Cheng Jin

Air Temperature Differences in Areas with High-rise Buildings

In Seoul, skyscrapers are built in commercial zones known as residential-commercial complexes, which cause such environmental problems as urban heat islands(UHI) and air pollution. To investigate air temperature differences in areas near skyscrapers at Gangnam-gu, Seoul, South Korea, fixed air temperature observation and traverse observations were performed from March 16, 2008 to March 15, 2009. The annual mean air temperature at Tower Palace(TPL) was higher than that at Sookmyung Girls` High School(SMG) by , although the distance between the two observation positions is only 200m. The number of tropical nights at TPL was 13, while that at SMG was 5. The higher air temperature at TPL was due to a significantly lower sky view factor(SVF), which prevented long-wave radiation from emitting into the sky. The highest air temperature increases near TPL occurred on summer nights because of the high-electricity consumption value of for the TPL block in August due to air conditioning for cooling. It is concluded that the warm air pocket centered on TPL.