DOHA: Masdar Institute of Science and Technology, an independent university focused on advanced energy and sustainable technologies, will do research into ‘urban heat island’ impact in Doha.
This is the first time the urban climate of desert cities gets investigated at such great depth. The research project, which has already been done in Abu Dhabi, will start in Dubai and Doha later this year.
The study on Abu Dhabi titled ‘Temperature-land cover interactions: The inversion of urban heat island phenomenon in desert city areas’, has been recently published in the Remote Sensing of Environment journal. It was co-authored by Dr Michele Lazzarini, Postdoctoral Researcher at Masdar Institute, Dr Hosni Ghedira, Director, UAE Research Centre for Renewable Energy Mapping and Assessment, and Prashanth Reddy Marpu, Researcher at Masdar Institute.
Remote Sensing of Environment is an interdisciplinary journal that publishes results on theory, science, applications and technology of remote sensing of earth resources and environment.
Dr Fred Moavenzadeh, President of Masdar Institute said: “The extension of the urban heat island project that covers the Abu Dhabi metropolitan areas to Dubai and Doha bears testimony to the highly relevant nature of our research not only to the UAE but the entire region.
“With the guidance and vision of the country’s leadership, Masdar Institute’s research projects are being acknowledged and adopted widely.
“We hope the outcome of this research will help formulate better city planning and smart urban development measures,” said Moavenzadeh.
Dr Ghedira said: “In dynamic environments such as urban areas, the changing landscape affects quality of life and it can have a significant impact on the local climate. “The analysis of these changes is therefore essential for several decision-making processes.
“This paper aims to provide a detailed study of a particular scenario that investigates the relationship between land cover and land surface temperature (LST) trend in the desert environment of the UAE, with a case study of Abu Dhabi City.”
The Peninsula
