The Urban Heat Island and Its Impact on Heat Waves and Human Health in Shanghai

Int J Biometeorol (2010) 54:75–84
DOI 10.1007/s00484-009-0256-x

ORIGINAL PAPER

The urban heat island and its impact on heat waves and human health in Shanghai
Jianguo Tan & Youfei Zheng & Xu Tang & Changyi Guo & Liping Li & Guixiang Song &
Xinrong Zhen & Dong Yuan & Adam J. Kalkstein & Furong Li & Heng Chen

Received: 17 December 2008 / Revised: 29 July 2009 / Accepted: 3 August 2009 / Published online: 1 September 2009
# ISB 2009

Abstract With global warming forecast to continue into the foreseeable future, heat waves are very likely to increase in both frequency and intensity. In urban regions, these future heat waves will be exacerbated by the urban heat island effect, and will have the potential to negatively influence the health and welfare of urban residents. In order to investigate the health effects of the urban heat island
(UHI) in Shanghai, China, 30 years of meteorological
J. Tan (*) : X. Zhen
Shanghai Urban Environmental Meteorology Center,
951 Jinxiu Road, Pudong,
Shanghai 200135, China e-mail: [e-mail]
Y. Zheng
Key Laboratory of Meteorological Disaster of Ministry of Education,
Nanjing University of Information Science &Technology,
Nanjing 210044, China
X. Tang
Shanghai Meteorological Bureau,
166 Puxi Road,
Shanghai 200030, China
C. Guo : G. Song : D. Yuan
Shanghai Municipal Center for Disease Control & Prevention,
1380 ZhongShan West Road,
Shanghai 200336, China
L. Li : F. Li : H. Chen
Injury Prevention Research Centre,
Medical College of Shantou University,
22 Xinling Road,
Shantou City 515041, Guangdong Province, China
A. J. Kalkstein
Department of Geography and Environmental Engineering,
United States Military Academy,
West Point, NY, USA

records (1975–2004) were examined for 11 first- and second-order weather stations in and around Shanghai.
Additionally, automatic weather observation data recorded in recent years as well as daily all-cause summer mortality counts in 11 urban,

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