Dallas selected as participant in urban heat island mapping initiative

Dallas - Extreme temperatures claim more lives annually in the United States than any other weather-related occurrence.

In light of this, Dallas, in collaboration with scientists, has launched an initiative to identify and map out areas within the city experiencing higher temperatures than others.

Dallas has been chosen by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) as one of 18 cities nationwide to participate in their urban heat island assessment project.

"What an urban heat island is, is the fact that cities are typically much warmer than your nearby more vegetative, more rural [areas] due to factors of the built environment," said Morgan Zabow, NOAA's community heat and health information coordinator.

Urban structures and paved surfaces within the city capture heat throughout the day, which they then emit back into the surrounding areas.

"It can really help the city in trying to implement cooling solutions...and maybe help with some policies in trying to address heat too," Zabow said.

"Trees can directly cool us, the most obvious way right is through shading," said Emily Plauche, an urban forestry coordinator with the Texas Trees Foundation.

The foundation has planted around 1.5 million trees since its establishment in 1982, including several at Foster Elementary School in Dallas last fall.

"School campuses are some of the least tree-d areas in the city, actually," Plauche said. "They have very low canopy cover so coming in and planting trees is gonna be really important to cool the outdoor spaces for students."

She emphasized the role of trees in addressing urban heat islands, stating, "Trees significantly contribute to cooling our cities and making them more habitable."

The researchers from NOAA will need the assistance of Dallas residents to effectively map the city's heat distribution.

"Volunteers from the City of Dallas will go out and collect air temperature data as well as humidity data with a sensor that they either attach to their car or their bike," Zabow explained. "These volunteers will travel around predetermined routes around the city three times during the day...this data is able to produce a report that gives us a map that really outlays, again, the hottest neighborhoods in the city."

Researchers believe that such efforts can have a considerable influence on the future of the community.

"If we're starting to take action, and build our cities to be cooler, I think hopefully we'll be OK," Zabow said.

NOAA is still seeking volunteers to assist with the study in Dallas, scheduled for August 5. For more details on how to participate, click here.

Content credit: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Dallas Metro News, CBS News - Texas