Affect Of Urbanization On Climate

Affect of Urbanization on Climate

Throughout history man has always tried to find ways to make facilitate survival. Be that of inventing weapons or inventing the internal combustion engine, man has learned to adapt to the environment and use its resources in order to reduce the arduous task of surviving. Yet with all these inventions the one thing man has not learned to control is nature itself. Although one may try to manipulate it, it is in fact nature who is manipulating mankind. For it is shown that nature can strike at any minute causing thousands of deaths and leaving no place unscathed by its presence. Man’s task has always been of adapting to the environment, to find ways in order to use the resources nature produces to make protection from its harsh climates. Throughout the world the building designs of man are different. In the dry climates of Africa one may see the mud huts designed to keep temperatures moderate in the inside while providing a stable structure capable of bearing the heat of the dry savanna, while in the cold northern lands igloos are built in order to keep out the cold and provide a haven for the people living within them. Buildings are specifically built to a land’s specifications. No one building in the world could sustain life in all the parts of the world for it is the resources and the weather that dictate how a building should be built. Buildings provide shelter for man, they are formed in order to provide moderate climate conditions and safety for the people living within them, yet with all the protection they provide against the weather they are ultimately making the surrounding climate even more severe for man.

The human body is meant to adapt to any kind of climate change. The body has a mechanism that controls the way one behaves in a certain condition. During hot days one may feel exhausted and weak and thus there movements become sluggish and reduced to a meager standstill. This is the way the body prevents itself from dehydrating, heat cramps and headaches warn the body of problems that are lurking if one continues to remain active in this kind of climate. The body tries to keep one alive, by its natural reactions man can continue to live and thrive in this world. In order to facilitate survival man has evolved its ways of thinking and thus the buildings they have designed to provide shelter have evolved with them. From simple straw built huts to monolithic iron towers buildings provide the necessary shelter to reduce the stress caused by the climate.

Climate varies from day to day even from hour to hour, climate change is caused by many factors such as wind currents, time of day, and where one is located on the earth. Wind currents provide the earth with climate. Without wind there would be no climate, wind helps by providing a means for heat to travel from the surface of the earth to the atmosphere and vice versa. By doing this water can evaporate into the atmosphere and form clouds which provide the earth with water. Particulates are able to be suspended in the air and serve as a scattering tool for the sunlight that penetrates the earth’s atmosphere. There is a paradox that says can the beat of a butterflies wings cause a disturbance in the weather conditions of a place hundreds of miles away. Since the wind is always changing there is this belief that it is even susceptible to the beat of a butterfly’s wing. If a little change such that of a butterfly can change the direction of the wind in a micro scale, then the construction of buildings could change the climate in a macro scale.

Buildings are built to provide a stable environment in which people can interact with one another without having to be concerned with the surrounding climate. Depending on the area one is located the designs of buildings are meant to reduce the impact of the geography of the land. For instance the construction of the houses in an Arab country; the houses there are made to be built close together in order to provide maximum coverage of the land. This results in narrow allies in which the path of the solar rays is hindered by the proximity of the buildings and thus their ability to reach the surface of the earth is reduced. As an effect of this there is greater shade produced and the temperature is significantly cooler in the cities. Here the buildings are designed with flat roofs,

openings, and heavy weight materials. These materials include dried mud in rural areas

and reinforced concrete in urban areas (Climatology 322). The thick exterior roof and walls

help to absorb temperature fluctuations and, therefore, keep internal temperatures from

rising above the outside surface temperature. An important function of the roof is its

color. A white or light colored roof will stay approximately the same temperature as the

outdoor air during the day, and six to ten deg C cooler than the outside air at night

(Climatology 323). This is an important feature because the cooler nighttime air will be

channeled down by the sloop of the roof and into the rooms in the building. One function

of the small openings is to prevent dust, a huge problem in Africa, West Asia, and West

Australia, from entering buildings. Windows are arranged so that equal areas are open on

the windward and leeward sides of the building. The reason for this is very simple, the

air stream can be directed into rooms that need constant ventilation such as the bedroom.

When one window is positioned higher than another, thermal force will direct

the airflow from the high window to the lower window creating good ventilation.

Courtyards, patios, and verandas are other common features of buildings in hot

climates. With high walls, these outside areas provide shade and a relaxing environment

to their inhabitants for social gatherings, evening entertainment, food preparation, and

domestic work such as laundry . Concrete is the most common material used in

the walls because it has low cost and high thermal capacity which in turn reduces internal

temperatures (Climatology 327). This keeps the patios cooler and more enjoyable. Another

way

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