SPOKANE, Wash. – The Center for Climate, Society, and the Environment at Gonzaga University teamed up with 40 local volunteers to map urban heat islands Saturday, July 16,
marking the launch of Spokane Beat the Heat, the Climate Center’s new heat-focused climate resilience project.
Spokane Beat the Heat follows the 2021 heat dome in the Northwest that saw record temperatures across the region, accompanied by the tragic loss of numerous community
members due to heat-related illness.
“We are excited to work with community and city leaders to better understand and respond to extreme heat,” said professor Brian G. Henning, director of GU’s Climate Center. “As
we saw last year in Spokane and this summer across the world, lack of planning for extreme heat can be deadly, especially for the elderly and those with underlying medical
conditions.”
During extreme heat events, surface and ambient temperatures can be greatly impacted by the built environment. Trees and green spaces reduce temperatures, while dense
concentrations of dark surfaces and buildings have been shown to absorb and retain heat. These areas of heightened temperatures amid developed urban spaces are called “urban
heat islands.”
Using innovative thermal cameras that turn a smartphone into an infrared camera with precise surface temperature measurements, the urban heat island effect can be seen on the
Gonzaga campus, volunteers found.
Original source can be found here.
