Abstract
Urbanization affects not only temperature but also wind and precipitation. Urban winds are influenced by high surface friction, weak stability of the surface layer, and formation of local circulation because of high temperature. Cities tend to have low relative humidity, and Japanese cities tend to have low water vapor amount as well. Urban influence on clouds and precipitation has long been debated; however, a statistical study using satellite data has confirmed higher cloud amount over urban areas around Tokyo than in the surrounding rural area in the daytime of summer. Additionally, some observational studies and numerical simulations support the possibility of increase in convective precipitation in Tokyo in the warm season.
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Fujibe, F. (2023). Wind and Precipitation in Cities. In: Climatological Study of Urban Climate and Heat and Cold Mortalities in Japan. International Perspectives in Geography, vol 21. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-99-4386-9_4
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