The Phenomenon of Urban Heat Islands in Brazil

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THis 5 page paper discusses the phenomenon of urban heat islands (UHI) in Brazil. The term islands refers to urban areas where overcrowding, too much pavement and too many dark surfaces on highways, parking lots and streets makes it impossible for the environment to reflect heat. Instead it absorbs it, with the result that the temperatures in an urban area can be 8 degrees higher than surrounding surburbs or rural areas. The tremendous pollution problem in Brazil is directly associated with these islands, since the rise in temperature caused by these environments can set off a chain reaction in which chemical compounds are sent into the air at a rate that increases for every degree the temperature rises. There are 6 sources listed in the bibliography.