Volunteers to help gather data to map heat in Northern Virginia

Arlington, Va. - The upcoming extreme heat in the D.C. region may be uncomfortable, but a team of researchers hopes it’ll be useful too.

The backstory:

This week, temperatures are forecast to reach triple digits in Northern Virginia, but some urban areas – especially those with a lot of concrete and not a lot of trees – will likely be warmer than others.

That's where what's called the Urban Heat Island Mapping Project comes in.

"Basically," said Faith Alliance for Climate Solutions (FACS) Executive Director Chris Topoleski, "I think it’s to answer a practical question: What are the hottest neighborhoods in Northern Virginia? Who’s most affected by it? And what can be done about it?"

What we know:

The project is part of a partnership between FACS and George Mason University's Virginia Climate Center. 

On Thursday, more than 30 teams will travel along 30 predetermined routes in Fairfax County, Arlington, and Alexandria. In the morning, afternoon, and evening, they’ll use sensors to gather data, like the temperature, humidity, and thermal intensity. 

George Mason researchers will then analyze the data and use it to create neighborhood heat maps.

Then, the thought is that those maps could be used to inform future planning decisions. So, for instance, if one neighborhood typically becomes significantly warmer than another, it may be an ideal spot for more trees or cool roof technologies.

"I think it’s important that we have our folks that are doing citizen science," Topoleski added. "It’s not just being done in a lab with data or a computer with data, and we’re going to be able to identify those neighborhoods that are in the most need."

What's next:

Researchers hope to issue a final report by the end of October.