GLOBE News
GLOBE Urban Heat Island Effect/Surface Temperature Field Campaign Begins Today (01 October) – Your Observations Are Invaluable!
The Urban Heat Island Effect – Surface Temperature Field Campaign will begin again today (01 October), and will run through 31 October. Your observations, and continued participation, is invaluable to this scientific endeavor.
The campaign is focused on looking at the impact urbanization has on the Earth’s surface temperature and how the surface temperature changes the dynamics of the Earth’s atmosphere. The campaign is now studying these impacts in seasons: October, December, and March.
The main research question that needs to be answered is "How does surface cover affect surface temperature?" The campaign encourages participating students to set up research studies at their schools.
In October, it will time once again to collect observations of surface temperature, clouds and snow – and add to the extensive data set that students and scientists, including Dr. Kevin Czajkowski (“Dr. C” at the University of Toledo), can use to study the urban heat island effect. Whether you are at an urban school, suburban school, or rural school, your observations are vital.
Participation in this campaign in 2017 was tremendous. More schools are now taking surface temperature observations; therefore, students can investigate how surface temperature changes between schools. Students can look at elevation, latitude and longitude, urban versus rural, proximity to water, etc. There are many research questions possible with surface temperature!
Studying the energy cycle is fundamental to understanding how the Earth’s spheres function within its system. The surface temperature measurements contribute data: 1) not normally collected by weather agencies, 2) for climate studies, and 3) for ground-truthing satellite data.
To learn more about the campaign, including how to get started, what data to collect and when; and advice from Dr. C, click here.
Investigation Areas: Atmosphere type: globe-newsNews origin: GLOBE Implementation Office