Department of Natural Science
Edgewood College
Madison, Wisconsin
Temperature and
Urbanization in Madison, Wisconsin
Emily
Budd, Holly Davis, Sonja McMeen, Lisa Shafer
We are students from Edgewood College who studied the effects of
urbanization on the temperature in Madison, Wisconsin. We looked at
historical temperature data from Dane County Regional Airport (Truax Field)
and UW Campus between the years of 1950 and 1963. We also compared the
present, daily temperature from Edgewood Campus. Our goal was to look at a
natural site and an urban site to determine if Madison is experiencing an
urban heat island effect.
Heat Island Effect
On a summer day, the average temperature in a city can be 3° to 5°
(Fahrenheit) hotter than surrounding rural areas.
Up to 30% of land in cities is covered by energy-absorbing artificial structures. The concrete and asphalt absorbs heat during the day and releases it into the atmosphere at night, heating the night sky.
Adding to the urban heat island effect is heat released into the urban atmosphere by combustive process from vehicles, industrial activity and the heat that escapes from commercial and domestic air conditioning.
Just prior to sunrise, urban areas are on average 7° warmer than adjacent rural areas in summer and 6° in winter.
The following is a list of cities that are studying a heat island effect in their area:
- Houston, Texas
- Chicago, Illinois
- Los Angeles, California
- Nashville, Tennessee
- Phoenix, Arizona
- Tucson, Arizona
- Atlanta, Georgia
- Baton Rouge, Louisiana
- Sacramento, California
- Salt Lake City, Utah
Population Data
| CITY OF MADISON POPULATION AND AREA (Including Dane County population Growth) | |||||
| City of Madison Department of Planning & Development, Dave Larson | |||||
| CITY OF MADISON | DANE COUNTY | ||||
| Year | Population | Area (sq. mi.) | comment | Population | comment |
| 1837 | 3 | Population per 1986-97 Annual Manual Almanac | |||
| 1838 | 62 | ||||
| 1840 | 172 | ||||
| 1844 | 216 | ||||
| 1846 Became a Village | 626 | ||||
| 1850 | 1,525 | 4.9 | Census | ||
| 1856 Became a City | 6,863 | 4.9 | Census | ||
| 1860 | 6,611 | 4.9 | Census | ||
| 1870 | 9,176 | 4.9 | Census | ||
| 1880 | 10,324 | 4.9 | Census | ||
| 1890 | 13,426 | 4.9 | Census | ||
| 1900 | 19,164 | 4.9 | Census | ||
| 1910 | 25,531 | 5.5 | Census | ||
| 1920 | 38,378 | 6.9 | Census | ||
| 1930 | 57,899 | 8.3 | Census | ||
| 1940 | 67,447 | 9.3 | Census | ||
| 1950 | 96,056 | 15.8 | Census | 169,357 | Census |
| 1960 | 126,706 | 39.5 | Census | 222,095 | Census |
| 1964 | 157,844 | 44.6 | Census | ||
| 1968 | 164,991 | 46.2 | Census | ||
| 1970 | 171,769 | 48.5 | Census | 290,272 | Census |
| 1972 | 179,368 | State pop. est. | |||
| 1973 | 172,467 | State pop. est. | |||
| 1974 | 168,621 | 51.3 | State pop. est. | ||
| 1974 (10/22/74) | 168,671 | Census | |||
| 1975 (1/1/75) | 168,518 | State pop. est. | |||
| 1976 (1/1/76) | 172,063 | State pop. est. | |||
| 1977 (1/1/97) | 170,238 | State pop. est. | |||
| 1978 (1/1/78) | 171,113 | State pop. est. | |||
| 1979 | 173,051 | 52.7 | State pop. est. | ||
| 1980 (4/1/80) | 170,616 | 54 | Census | 323,545 | Census |
| 1981 (1/1/81) | 170,315 | 54 | State pop. est. | ||
| 1982 (1/1/82) | 171,590 | 54.2 | |||
| 1983 (1/1/83) | 172,263 | 54.5 | State pop. est. | ||
| 1984 (1/1/84) | 172,583 | 54.9 | State pop. est. | ||
| 1985 (1/1/85) | 174,753 | 55.6 | State pop. est. | ||
| 1986 (1/1/86) | 175,664 | 55.6 | State pop. est. | ||
| 1987 (1/1/87) | 176,053 | 55.7 | State pop. est. | 342,569 | State pop. est. |
| 1988 (1/1/88) | 177,690 | 56.2 | State pop. est. | 346,591 | State pop. est. |
| 1989 (1/1/89) | 180,636 | 57.8 | State pop. est. | 352,999 | State pop. est. |
| 1990 (1/1/90) | 181,581 | 58 | State pop. est. | ||
| 1990 (4/1/90) | 190,766 | Census | 367,085 | Census | |
| 1991 (1/1/91) | 192,589 | 58.1 | State pop. est. | 370,633 | State pop. est. |
| 1991 (4/1/91) | 62 | ||||
| 1992 (1/1/92) | 194,591 | 62.1 | State pop. est. | 376,989 | State pop. est. |
| 1993 (1/1/93) | 196,053 | 62.3 | State pop. est. | 383,420 | State pop. est. |
| 1994 (1/1/94) | 198,392 | 62.7 | State pop. est. | 389,677 | State pop. est. |
| 1995 (1/1/95) | 199,518 | 62.8 | State pop. est. | 393,788 | State pop. est. |
| 1996 (1/1/96) | 200,814 | 63.72 | State pop. est.; Area per GIS | 398,191 | State pop. est. |
| 1997 (1/1/97) | 201,786 | 65.2 | State pop. est.; Area per GIS | 402,988 | State pop. est. |
| 1998 (1/1/98) | 203,211 | 67.06 | State pop. est.; Area per GIS | 407,584 | State pop. est. |
| 1999 (1/1/99) | 205,343 | 67.24 | State pop. est.; Area per GIS | 413,090 | State pop. est. |
| 2000 (1/1/00) | 207,248 | 68.8 | State pop. est.; Area per GIS | 418,978 | State pop. est. |
| 2000 (4/1/00) | Census | Census | |||
Temperature Graphs
Findings and Recommendations
- We found some evidence for a heat island effect in Madison. Both daily lows and average daily temperatures were higher downtown than at the airport during the period when records are available for both locations (1950-63).
- Although the highs at the airport were greater than the highs downtown, this could be due to a “lake effect” of cooler air blowing off Lake Mendota.
- As the population and area of Madison have grown, the average yearly temperature has also increased (however this correlation does not necessarily prove that urbanization or growth affected the temperatures; perhaps these increases are due to larger-scale climatic changes).
- We had difficulty finding current temperature data for the Madison urban area. Because we found a difference in temperature between a rural and urban site, we recommend that TV weather stations keep long-term records that are accessible to the public.
- Microclimate (land use) affects temperature.
- As urbanization increases, energy use also increases (for example the use of air conditioners), which may create higher temperatures as a result of the release of CO2 by power plants.
- “A single tree can provide the same cooling effect as ten room size air conditioners working 20 hours per day.”
John Tillman Lyle, Design for Human Ecosystems
