Which human activity can result in the heat island effect?
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1 point
building green spaces and roof gardens
using habitable land for pasture land
converting forest to agricultural land
covering the ground with concrete and pavement
covering the ground with concrete and pavement
Covering the ground with concrete and pavement can result in the heat island effect.
The human activity that can result in the heat island effect is covering the ground with concrete and pavement.
To understand why this activity contributes to the heat island effect, we need to break it down:
1. Heat Island Effect: The heat island effect refers to the phenomenon where urban areas experience higher temperatures than surrounding rural areas. This is primarily caused by human activities that modify the land surface, resulting in increased heat absorption and reduced cooling.
2. Covering Ground with Concrete and Pavement: Concrete and pavement are used extensively in urban areas as materials for constructing roads, sidewalks, buildings, and other infrastructure. These surfaces have high thermal mass, meaning they can absorb and retain heat from the sun.
When concrete and pavement cover large areas of land, several factors contribute to the heat island effect:
a. Increased Heat Absorption: Concrete and pavement surfaces absorb more solar radiation than natural surfaces like vegetation or soil. These materials have lower albedo (reflectivity), which means they absorb more sunlight and convert it into heat.
b. Reduced Evapotranspiration: Concrete and pavement limit the ability of vegetation and soil to absorb and evaporate water. This reduction in evapotranspiration significantly decreases the cooling effect through evaporation, which would have occurred naturally in green spaces.
c. Heat Retention: Concrete and pavement release heat slowly, which means they continue to radiate heat even after the sun has set. This causes higher nighttime temperatures in urban areas compared to nearby rural regions.
d. Disruption of Natural Surface: Replacing natural surfaces like vegetation and soil with concrete and pavement disrupts the land's natural ability to regulate temperature through shading, moisture retention, and airflow.
Therefore, the activity of covering the ground with concrete and pavement contributes to the heat island effect by increasing heat absorption, reducing evapotranspiration, retaining heat, and disrupting natural temperature regulation mechanisms.