Feelin' the Heat: Adapting a Classroom Activity on Urban Heat and Water Dynamics for Informal Learning Experiences
Abstract
As cities grow and temperatures rise due to anthropogenic climate change, urban areas are experiencing more frequent and extreme heat. Hotter temperatures alter heat-water-vegetation interactions that affect local microclimates and contribute to the formation of urban heat islands. Managing these changes and mitigating urban heat is an essential task for the sustainable city management and the health and welfare of urban residents. Members of the public play a critical role in this process, both in terms of decisions made by individual property owners and through their awareness and advocacy for heat-mitigating public policy at the local level.
This work highlights adapting a formal classroom educational application that allows participants to explore urban heat using five different urban land covers into an informal demonstration. Initial classroom applications focused on quantitative assessments of evapotranspiration through energy and water balance approaches, with application and design questions aimed at urban heat mitigation strategies. These formal activities engaged both engineering and environmental science undergraduate students in lab classes. Informal applications that used the same demonstration (shown in attached image) took place at the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI) during "Meet a Scientist" and "After Dark" events and modified the strategies used to engage and encourage participation. We focused primarily on engaging participants through personal experiences, qualitative evaluation of the impacts of land cover and water on urban temperature, and individual action relevant to urban heat mitigation. This presentation will highlight (1) the adaptation of a laboratory-based activity for use in informal educational settings and (2) the strategies used to encourage engagement in issues surrounding urban heat and water management, both with classroom and informal learners, to promote awareness and advocacy.- Publication:
-
AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- December 2022
- Bibcode:
- 2022AGUFMED12A..12B