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Urban Heat Island Mapping

On some of the hottest days of summer, NOAA-sponsored teams of scientists and citizen scientists conduct field campaigns to measure and map the urban heat islands of selected cities. The two main purposes are to (1) produce very detailed maps of those cities' urban heat islands so that (2) residents and city officials can consider whether and how they may want to take actions to protect people and property from the risks associated with exposure to extreme heat. In previous years' campaigns, participants observed some parts of Baltimore, Richmond, and Washington, DC, were as much as 17°F hotter than others parts of those cities during the same time of day.

Project URL: https://www.heat.gov/pages/mapping-campaigns

Geographic Scope: Up to 5 U.S. cities in 2019, to be determined

Project Status: Periodically active - recruiting volunteers

Participation Tasks: Measurement, Observation,

Start Date: 1/7/2019

Project Contact: David.Herring@noaa.gov

Federal Government Sponsor:

NOAA logo

Other Federal Government Sponsor:

Fields of Science: Climate and weather, Education, Health and medicine, Nature and outdoors, Science policy, Social science

Intended Outcomes: On some of the hottest days of summer, NOAA-sponsored teams of scientists and citizen scientists conduct field campaigns to measure and map the urban heat islands of up to five selected cities.