Computer simulation of an urban heat island using finite elements

A finite-element Galerkin technique, with Taylor approximation and Crank—Nicolson, is used to provide a computer simulation of the cellular convection patterns of an urban heat island. An attempt is made to simulate, within the constraints of a computer model, the observed physics of the urban heat island and comparisons are made with earlier finite-difference and finite-element least-squares models to conclude that the chosen finite-element Galerkin technique provides a more realistic simulation of an urban heat island than earlier computation models. Graphical output from the developed programs illustrates the pattern of the convection cells.