AR Times: “The Little Rock Sustainability Office is joining in a national campaign to identify the hottest parts of the city, and organizers are looking for volunteers to act as citizen scientists on August 19.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s “Heat Watch Campaign” aims to identify community hotspots, or “heat islands,” for use in future decisions on how to reduce the health impacts of extreme heat. Little Rock is one of 18 communities participating in the study this year and is the first Arkansas city to be involved.
“In an urban environment, factors like reduced tree coverage, air flow, heavy traffic, and the density of buildings can create ‘islands’ of higher temperatures relative to surrounding areas,” according to a press release from the sustainability office.
Lennie Massanelli and Brittany Nichols with the Little Rock Sustainability Office explained the project to the mayor and city leaders at a board meeting on July 18. Volunteers will have a sensor installed on their vehicles that collects data on temperature and humidity, as well as time and location data. They’ll drive a route of about 10 square miles around the city during the morning, afternoon and evening on August 19, covering all 123 square miles of Little Rock. Volunteers can sign up to drive for one or multiple times of day. The information they collect will be analyzed and visualized as a map.”