whose research team was headed by Dr. Azzam Abu Riash, Assistant Professor at the College of Science and Engineering at Hamad Bin Khalifa University - the temperature of the Earth's surface in Qatar has begun to change, which has redrawn the features of the seasons climatically.
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According to the study, this contributed to reducing the temperature difference between them, so that they practically became 3 seasons: a mild winter with an average temperature of 26 degrees, a dry summer that reaches 48 degrees, and a humid summer with a temperature of 44 degrees "the temperature of the Earth's surface differs from the air temperature recorded by weather stations, as it reflects the amount of heat stored or emitted from surfaces such as concrete, asphalt, building surfaces, soil and plants, and may differ significantly from the air temperature above them."
He adds, "The assessment of the actual sensation of heat is not based on temperature alone, but is affected by other factors, including relative humidity, the heat index, wet-bulb temperature as well as wind speed and solar radiation, which are important indicators for understanding the level of heat stress to which humans are exposed in urban environments.
The study is concerned with the role played by "heat islands," a phenomenon in which built-up areas within cities become hotter than the surrounding rural or natural areas. It is called an "island" because the hotter areas appear as hot islands amidst cooler areas.
The researcher explains, "We have succeeded in producing one of the most accurate heat maps for the city to date, which helps to identify the most prominent areas of heat accumulation, and places that need targeted and thoughtful afforestation."
In drawing this map, the researchers relied on a new thermal division system developed based on the concept of "local climatic zones," which is used to classify urban areas according to their urban and surface characteristics, such as the height and density of buildings, the distances between them, the proportion of built surfaces, as well as the presence of plants and open land.
Abu Riyash says, "This classification made it possible to determine whether some urban patterns are more associated with higher temperatures than others, rather than treating the city as a climatically homogeneous area."
The results showed that about 60% of the study area consists of built urban areas, falling under 6 categories of “local climate zones” and varying according to the height, density and distribution of buildings, while other types of land cover, including natural and plant areas, represent about 40%.
High-rise and mid-rise buildings are mainly concentrated in the center of the capital, Doha, and these patterns represent about 27.3% of the urban fabric, while the pattern of mid-rise and relatively open buildings dominates the northern and southern areas, and covers about 18.2% of the area studied.
