rural areas. It is reasonable to conclude that the higher the portion of impervious developments, the greater the magnitude of the UHI effect. It follows from this observation that the best potential tactic for combating the UHI involves restoration of the tree canopy to increase shading potential and restore transpiration processes.
What can we do is to install cool, reflective roofs, use cool pavements, create green roofs, increase vegetative cover, and increase tree growth to mitigate the UHI effect. I will continue to use the power of GIS to monitor and analyze changes to the land cover and subsequent impacts to the distribution of urban heat.
Oke, T.R. and J.A. Voogt. (2003) Thermal remote sensing of urban climates. Remote Sensing of Environment, 86, 370-384.
Stone, Jr., Brian. (2007) Short Communication: Urban and rural temperature trends in proximity to large US cities: 1951-2000. International Journal of Climatology, 27, 1801-1807.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Website. The Urban Heat Island. http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/science/indicators/health-society/heat-deaths.html
Last accessed June, 2015
I want to thank the organizers of the SAP program, including Program Director Dr. Buddhi Gyawali and STEM Project Coordinator Jeremy Sandifer.