Weather Report: Mobile Weather Vans Sent to Monitor Heat in Arizona Trailer Parks
Iunderstanding the nuances of urban weather, and in particular the heat island effectthat makes built-up areas hotter than their surroundings requires detailed local information. But some areas donāt have local weather stations, so Brookhaven National Laboratory in the US sends mobile weather vans to trailer parks in Arizona to precisely measure microclimate conditions.
Communities that house these manufactured homes tend to be poor, and poor insulation and other issues make their residents especially susceptible to the health effects of heat. Last year, there were 987 heat-related deaths in Arizona, a record high. But since poorer neighborhoods are less likely to have local weather stations, there can be ādata desertsā in the areas most at risk.
Hence the weather wagons, part of a $25 million project funded by the US Department of Energy, known as the Integrated Field Laboratory for the Southwest Urban CorridorThey are equipped to measure ground and air temperature, wind speed and direction, cloud cover, pollution levels, and even the rate and intensity of rainfall.
The weather researchers are working with social scientists to fill in the data deserts and get a more complete picture of how heat can affect the most vulnerable communities. Their data will also help evaluate possible ways to mitigate the effects of hot weather.