Spatial and Temporal Variations of the Anthropogenic Heat Flux in Singapore

Half of the world’s population now live in cities. According to the United Nations, the figure is expected to rise to 70% in 2050. This rapid urban growth along with economic development and industrialisation is a principal force driving the increase in both the local and global energy demands.

Given the increasing concentration of people in cities coupled with the intensive energy demands of cities, the anthropogenic (human) heat flux, Q_F, may play an important role in affecting a city’s thermal environment, ambient air quality, and other attributes of its climate system. In view that Singapore has a strong demand for air-conditioning throughout the year, and is one of the world’s most densely populated countries, it will be worthwhile to observe and evaluate the magnitude of Q_F for this tropical city-state.

The findings of this study may eventually be used to determine the impact of human energy use on Singapore’s city climate and Singapore’s contribution to carbon emissions and climate change, and to identify potential energy saving measures for individuals and businesses. An inventories of energy consumption approach for estimating hourly and diurnal profiles of Q_F across different land use types in Singapore (specifically, commercial, residential – HDB, and residential – private flats/houses) will be used to map out the spatial and temporal variability of Q_F in Singapore.