The extent and intensity of the urban heat island in Iasi city, Romania

The study underlines the characteristics of the urban heat island of Iasi (Iasi's UHI) on the basis of 3years of air temperature measurements obtained by fixed-point observations. We focus on the identification of UHI development and intensity as it is expressed by the temperature differences between the city centre and the rural surroundings. Annual, seasonal and daily characteristics of Iai's UHI are investigated at the level of the classical weather observation. In brief, an intensity of 0.8 degrees C of UHI and a spatial extension which corresponds to the densely built area of the city were delineated. The Iai UHI is stronger during summer calm nightswhen the inner city is warmer with 2.5-3 degrees C than the surroundingsand is weaker during windy spring days. The specific features of Iasi's UHI bear a profound connection to the specificity of the urban structure, the high atmospheric stability in the region and the local topography. Also, the effects of Iasi's UHI upon some environmental aspects are presented as study cases. For instance, under the direct influence of UHI, we have observed that in the city centre, the apricot tree blossoms earlier (with up to 4days) and the depth of the snow cover is significantly lower (with up to 10cm for a rural snow depth of 30cm) than in the surrounding areas.