A study conducted by Prof. Janet Nichol at the Department of Land Surveying and Geo-Informatics and her research student Mr To Pui-hang, together with Prof. Edward Ng Yan-yung of The Chinese University of Hong Kong, predicted that the temperature in the inner urban areas of Hong Kong will rise by two to three Celsius degree in 30 years’ time.

Using remote sensing technology and satellite images, the researchers have mapped the distribution of temperatures for both daytime and nighttime over Hong Kong at decadal intervals up to 2039, taking into consideration the temperature change due to greenhouse-induced warming and the impact of urbanization. The latter is known as Urban Heat Island (UHI) effect which may be caused by high-rise buildings which block thermal radiation at night, materials with thermal bulk properties such as asphalt and concrete, and the lack of vegetation in urban areas. Details>>