Urbanization and human-caused climate changes have led to increases in heat events around the world. For example, in July 2012, an extreme heat wave hit the Chicago area, causing temperatures to skyrocket to 40°C (104°F) and above. Chicago, like most cities, is affected by urban heat islands (UHIs), which occur when changes in land cover create spaces that are warmer than their surrounding area. Satellite measurements can be used to inform models to characterize the intensity of UHIs, yet satellite techniques have some limitations—expensive sensors and low temporal resolution, among other drawbacks. But quantifying the intensity of UHIs could help public health officials and city planners learn to mitigate the impacts of future heat waves.
Hazards & Disasters
Posted inResearch Spotlights
ICON Principles Underused as a Natural Hazards Research Tool
Scientists identify barriers to and opportunities for applying integrated, connected, open, and networked research strategies to natural hazards studies.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
A Simple Model Predicts Household Lead Exposure Risk
Using both sample data and crowdsourced science, a new model effectively identified houses at risk for higher concentrations of lead.
Posted inENGAGE, News
Which Came First, the Eruption or the Landslide?
Anak Krakatau’s eruption was accompanied by a devastating tsunami. But was the eruption to blame?
Posted inNews
Searching for Earthquakes in the Ionosphere
Earthquakes may release bursts of electrical energy that can be felt in the ionosphere, kilometers above Earth. The theory remains controversial, though.
Posted inNews
Crowdsourced Science Helps Monitor Air Quality in Smoke-Damaged Homes
Researchers collaborate with residents to measure airborne chemicals in homes and evaluate how clean the air really is after remediation from Colorado’s Marshall Fire.
Posted inENGAGE, News
Coal Seam Fires Burn Beneath Communities in Zimbabwe
Underground fires threaten the health of people and livestock living near mines supporting the country’s growing coal industry.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Fiber-Optic Cables Can Produce High-Resolution Underground Maps
Telecom fiber repurposed as distributed acoustic sensing arrays can image near-surface structure and potentially improve seismic hazard mapping in urban areas.
Posted inENGAGE, News
Deforestation Is Flooding West African Coasts
The lack of trees is contributing to increased rainfall along the coast of southwest Africa, where communities are already vulnerable to flash flooding.
Posted inNews
Rising Seas Boost Tsunami Impacts on Distant Shorelines
Modeling suggests that rising sea levels will render Southern California ports increasingly vulnerable to waves from distant-source tsunamis.