The Urban Climate and Air Pollution

Abstract

Most of the climatic changes brought about by urbanization have been well documented and repeatedly confirmed. Much less well known are their consequences. Even classic studies like Chandler’s (1965) The Climate of London contain only very general references to its effects on the economic and social life of the city. Direct or indirect mention of the urban climate influencing the ecology of built-up areas is equally scarce, and with the exception of work in West Germany usually anecdotal. By contrast a great deal of scientific information exists on the biological consequences of air pollution. This is discussed separately. Tables expressing average urban climatic differences as a percentage of rural conditions can be found in a number of books (Changnon, 1976; Landsberg, 1981; Spirn, 1984). They show reasonably close agreement; that of Horbert (1978) is reproduced as Table 3.1. While it is appreciated that the climate acts as a whole, the various factors and their ecological consequences will, as far as possible, be discussed separately.