Heatwave conditions in 2017 delivered record-breaking temperatures to Sydney and the surrounding regions. The following visualisation is narrated by Dr. Annette L. Hirsch of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Climate Extremes (UNSW), and analyses the role of surface conditions during heatwave events, with a specific emphasis on complex urban areas. Urban areas are often hotter than their rural surroundings, a phenomena is known as the urban heat island effect, and can be influenced by coastal breezes, inland airflow and extreme temperatures. A new configuration of the weather and research forecasting model is able to visualise urban weather conditions at very high resolutions. The full visualisation can be seen here: https://youtu.be/xlV5zu4SshY
Visualisation by Drew Whitehouse, NCI Vizlab, The Australian National University
Research Team: Annette L. Hirsch, Jason P. Evans, Christopher Thomas, Brooke M. Conroy, Melissa A. Hart, Mathew J Lipson and William Ertler ARC Centre of Excellence for Climate Extremes, Climate Change Research Centre, University of New South Wales
Research Paper: Hirsch, A. L., J. P. Evans, C. Thomas, B. Conroy, M. A. Hart, M. Lipson, and W. Ertler (2021), Resolving the influence of local flows on urban heat amplification during heatwaves. Environmental Research Letters, doi:10.1088/1748-9326/ac0377
