An observational urban heat island study: A primary step in heat event mitigation planning in Detroit, MI

Knowledge of the structure and characteristics of urban heat islands (UHIs) is becoming evermore important to public health practitioners and city planners as they attempt to better identify parts of the city that are especially vulnerable and to plan strategies to mitigate heat-related health threats. The spatial structure of UHIs can be investigated in many different manners, but investigation of raw observations can be problematic. From a meteorological point of view, one goal is to map the structure of the urban heat island from routinely-made standard weather observations to a complex urban environment - in effect, a highly localized downscaling. In order to accomplish such a goal, we conducted analysis using a dense network of temporary observation stations, in concert with established observing networks, inside the city of Detroit. In this talk we correlate point-source temperature measurements with relevant spatial attributes (surface imperviousness, proximity to water, etc.) to model the observed temperature patterns. Future work towards mapping heat vulnerability includes co-analysis with spatial data of population adaptive capacity and sensitivity to heat stress.