Spatial-temporal controls on Cooling Degree Hours: An energy demand parameter

Summary Present-day and 2 × CO₂ regional climate impacts and the effects of local land use patterns on Cooling Degree Hours (CDHs — an energy demand parameter based on cumulative degrees of temperature above 75 °F) are investigated for the Phoenix metropolitan area in central Arizona. Approaches include: (1) the utilization of four readily available and commonly used Global Circulation Models (GCMs) to assess possible changes in climate for doubled CO₂, (2) the analysis of hourly temperature data collected for one year over three different land type sites, and (3) analysis of locally collected hourly temperature data, for a typical summer day from a real-time weather and climate network, to evaluate the spatial variability of CDHs over the urban landscape. Results are discussed by showing effects at the global and urban scales. Differing surface types, and expected changes in land uses in the future, induce spatial differences of CDHs (and therefore potential energy demand) comparable to GCM projections of climate change for the region.With 6 Figures