Urban impacts on climate - The Global Climate System: Patterns, Processes, and Teleconnections - page 243

Figure 7.11 This nighttime image of the Phoenix, Arizona, metropolitan area is from the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal
Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) for October 3, 2003 at approximately 22:39:00 local time. A color ramp has
been applied to highlight relatively hot and cool surfaces; the corresponding temperature scale is in 8 C. Urban materials,
such as the asphalt street grid and Sky Harbor Airport exhibit relatively high surface temperatures, while heavily vegetated
regions (mesic neighborhoods, riparian zones, agricultural fields) are relatively cool. Sparsely vegetated mountain ranges
comprised of exposed massive bedrock and block talus also have relatively high surface temperatures compared to other
natural surfaces. North is towards the top of the image. (Image source: William L. Stefanov, Johnson Image Analysis
Laboratory, NASA Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX. Original unprocessed ASTER data (AST_08 surface temperature
product) from NASA/ERSDAC) For color version see Plate 6 .