Geography
Why Land Surface Temperature Varies Within a Single Metropolitan Area
Quick fact
On a sunny summer afternoon, a dark asphalt parking lot can be 30–40°C hotter than the air temperature, while a shaded, grassy park may be closer to air temperature, creating a temperature difference of more than 10°C across just a few hundred meters.
Why this is interesting
When you step out of the subway on a scorching summer day, the air feels heavier and hotter than just a few blocks away in the park. Why can two places in the same city feel like different climates?