Urban Climates is the first full synthesis of modern scientific and applied research on urban climates. The book begins with an outline of what constitutes an urban ecosystem. It develops a comprehensive terminology for the subject using scale and surface classification as key constructs. It explains the physical principles governing the creation of distinct urban climates, such as airflow around buildings, the heat island, precipitation modification and air pollution, and it then illustrates how this knowledge can be applied to moderate the undesirable consequences of urban development and help create more sustainable and resilient cities. With urban climate science now a fully-fledged field, this timely book fulfills the need to bring together the disparate parts of climate research on cities into a coherent framework. It is an ideal resource for students and researchers in fields such as climatology, urban hydrology, air quality, environmental engineering and urban design.

To face the threats to the water supply and to maintain sustainable water management policies, detailed knowledge is needed on the surface-to-subsurface transformation link in the water cycle. Recharge flux is covered in this book as well as many other groundwater issues, including a comparison of the traditional and modern approaches to determine groundwater recharge. The authors also explain in detail the fate of groundwater recharge in the subsurface by hydraulic and geologic means, in order to stimulate adapted groundwater-management strategies.