The impact of thermal heating of the underlying surface of urban development on the ecology of the surface layer of the atmosphere in Krasnodar

This article is devoted to the problem of the impact of thermal heating of the underlying surface of the urban environment on the transformation of the pollution island in the southern city of Krasnodar, Russia, during the summer period. The study focuses on the planning areas of the city of Krasnodar with the maximum thermal heating of the underlying surface and identifies their influence on the transformation of atmospheric ecologically harmful pollutants in the atmospheric boundary layer toward the so-called "heat spots." These studies are most relevant for the southern regions of the Russian Federation, located in the III and IV construction-climatic zones, as well as for all cities situated in the south. The urban ecological and microclimatic characteristics of the atmospheric boundary layer in southern cities of the Russian Federation, located in the III and IV construction-climatic zones, are directly dependent on increased temperature readings during hot weather and thermal heating of the underlying surface. To address the issue, statistical climate data for the city of Krasnodar were taken into account, and published scientific studies from the Landsat-8 satellite dated August 17, 2023, were utilized. Data from field observations from a meteorological tower at 36 Rashpilevskaya Street in Krasnodar were also applied. The scientific novelty of this study lies in the identification of the areas of highest thermal heating within the urban development of Krasnodar. It has been established that air masses in the boundary layer of the city, filled with negative anthropogenic atmospheric pollutants, will move toward the more heated zones of industrial enterprises, shopping centers, densely built-up areas, and new constructions with large amounts of asphalt and concrete. It has been proven that at the macro-ecological level of urban planning in conditions of low wind and calm, the urban "heat island" consists of numerous territorial planning zones with varying degrees of thermal heating and influences the movement of atmospheric pollutants in the city, creating zones of environmental distress in the atmospheric boundary layer. Major planning zones with significant thermal heating at the meso level will contribute to the movement of ecologically unfavorable atmospheric pollutants at the micro-ecological level of urban planning.