Scientists discover link between haze, urban heat

Chinese scientists said they have discovered a link between haze and the urban heat island ( UHI) effect for the first time, which will serve to control air pollution as well as high temperatures in cities, news website caixin. com reported Wednesday.

Nature Communication magazine published a research paper online on Tuesday, claiming that nighttime surface UHI across China is largely controlled by the difference in haze levels in urban and rural areas.

The paper found that haze can enhance the UHI between 0.4- 1 degree Celsius through an increase in radiation absorption at night in semi- arid areas in western China, including Xinjiang, Qinghai and Inner Mongolia.

Li Xuhui, the paper’s coauthor and a researcher at the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies, told caixin. com that “the result of our research will help to deal with the worsening air pollution.”

The haze’s warming effect is related to the size of the particles – the bigger the particle, the stronger the effect, he added.