Cool Neighborhoods NYC: A Neighborhood and Microclimate Analysis of 2018-2019 Heat Waves in NYC
Topics:
Keywords: Urban geography, hazards and vulnerability, environmental justice
Abstract Type: Poster Abstract
Authors:
Ellen Ren, Environmental Science Department, Barnard College
Elizabeth Cook, Environmental Science Department, Barnard College
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Abstract
Heat waves are growing in frequency, duration and intensity along with record levels of heat-related hospitalizations, mortalities and power outages. Heat exposure and contributing factors to heat vulnerability vary among neighborhoods and disproportionately impact some communities. However, most temperature monitoring occurs at the city scale and can obscure the variability and intensity of exposure and impacts of heat waves within neighborhoods. In this project, we ask: how do temperatures during heat waves vary hyper-locally among neighborhoods and within a neighborhood in relation to biophysical and community characteristics. In 12 heat-vulnerable neighborhoods in New York City, we examine the relationship between hourly hyper-local air temperature (recorded from >30 sensors/neighborhood) during a 2019 heat wave and the biophysical (2017 6in resolution land cover) and socio-demographic characteristics of the neighborhoods, as well as existing community actions towards heat mitigation. We found neighborhood temperatures were hotter than citywide daily maximums, and many neighborhoods experienced an additional day of heat-wave conditions (>90 F). The role of green space in heat mitigation was not uniform across nor within neighborhoods; tree canopy cover correlated with cooler temperatures during the daytime, while grass and shrub cover was more strongly correlated with cooler temperatures at night. By examining what makes each neighborhood uniquely vulnerable to heat, hyperlocal neighborhood heat studies can help inform heat stress mitigation strategies in communities that are and will continue to be at high risk of extreme heat effects.
Cool Neighborhoods NYC: A Neighborhood and Microclimate Analysis of 2018-2019 Heat Waves in NYC
Category
Poster Abstract