Scientists with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) are teaming with community scientists this summer to map the hottest parts of 14 U.S. cities and counties in the U.S. and two international cities, NOAA announced last month.
NOAA's Climate Program Office and its National Integrated Heat Health Information System (NIHHIS) will initiate local heat-mapping projects, according to the agency's April 26 announcement. During the summer program, local groups will map urban heat islands, which can be up to 20 degrees F. hotter than nearby areas, NOAA reports. Extreme heat is the most deadly weather event in the U.S., and although anyone can die from extreme-heat exposure, not everyone's risk is the same, NOAA states in the announcement.
"Extreme heat kills more Americans than any other weather event and has the greatest impact on our nation's most vulnerable communities," DOC Deputy Sec. Don Graves said in the report.
"Fortunately, our talented and dedicated researchers and scientists at NOAA are working directly with communities across the country to help them take action to manage extreme heat," Graves said in the statement. "As climate change worsens heat waves, this critical information will help bring local and equitable solutions for those facing the greatest threats."
In the mapping program, volunteer "citizen scientists" will travel by car or bike throughout their communities in the morning, afternoon and evening on the hottest days of the summer. Sensors, mounted to volunteers' bikes or cars, will record temperature, humidity levels, time of day and their location for the duration of the treks, according to the NOAA.
In 2021, 799 volunteers in 24 communities recorded 1.2 million measurements, according to NOAA. Communities can use the data to develop extremely localized heat maps and make plans to address and mitigate the effects of heat waves specific to their region, according to the NOAA statement. Cities in previous studies have used the data to create extreme-heat action plans, add cooling centers to public-transportation stations, and inform citizens and policymakers on equitable heat-mitigation measures.
U.S. communities in the 2022 program are Boulder, Col.; Clark County, Nev. including Las Vegas; Columbia, S.C.; Columbus, Ohio; Jacksonville, Fla.; Knoxville and Nashville, Tenn,; Milwaukee, Wis.; Montgomery County, Md.; Omaha, Neb.; Spokane, Wash.; Philadelphia; Brooklyn, New York and San Francisco. The international cities are Freetown, Sierra Leone and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
“Our nation faces a climate crisis that has exacerbated inequities for low-income communities and communities of color,” NOAA Administrator Rick Spinrad, Ph.D., said in the announcement. “NOAA is helping communities measure their hottest places so that they can use this information to inform strategies to reduce the unhealthy and deadly effects of extreme heat and help us build a Climate Ready Nation.”
