Mega Regional Heat Patterns in US Urban Corridors

TL;DR

This study investigates the presence and characteristics of megaregions of intense heat in US urban corridors, revealing mixed temperature trends and correlations with urbanization factors, informing climate adaptation strategies.

Contribution

It introduces the hypothesis that urban corridors form megaregions of heat and analyzes their climatological trends and correlations with urbanization.

Findings

Higher winter temperatures in UCs over 60 years

No significant summer temperature trend differences

Strong correlations between heat indices and urbanization factors

Abstract

Current literature suggests that urban heat-islands and their consequences are intensifying under climate change and urbanization. Here we explore the relatively unexplored hypothesis that emerging urban corridors (UCs) spawn megaregions of intense heat which are evident from observations. A delineation of the eleven United States UCs relative to their underlying climatological regions (non-UCs) suggest a surprisingly mixed trend. Medians and trends of winter temperatures over the last 60-years are generally higher in the UCs but no such general trends are observed in the summer. Heat wave metrics related to public health, energy demand and relative intensity do not exhibit significantly higher overall trends. Temperature and heat wave indices in the UCs exhibit high correlations with each other including across seasons. Spatiotemporal patterns in population, along with urbanization, agriculture and elevation, exhibit high (positive or negative) rank correlations with warming and heatwave intensification. The findings can inform climate adaptation in megalopolises.