Hot rooftops shine brightly in a fresh, false-color image of Baton Rouge, La., taken taken Monday as part of the Urban Heat Island Pilot Project (UHIPP) being conducted by NASA and other agencies.
It clearly demonstrates the principle behind UHIPP, that the differences in cooling and heating between the natural and manmade surfaces can affect city temperatures.
"Urban forests are important to keeping cities cool," said the principal investigator, Dr. Jeff Luvall of NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center. "What's important are both the extent and arrangement of these forests."
Estimated temperatures on rooftops (seen in red) are a scorching 65 deg. C (149 deg. F), while areas with trees and vegetation (green) are a pleasant 25 deg. C (77 deg. F). Temperatures are taken by sensors scattered around the city and will be used to calibrate images as the study continues in the months to come. No temperatures are available yet for the river, shown in blue.
Luvall said that it is important to note that this is a quick-look image that has not be corrected for atmospheric interference or fully calibrated with ground sensor data.
In addition to ATLAS and the "heat spy" instruments on the ground, the study uses images from a 23x23 cm (9x9 in) film camera aboard the Lear 23 and sensors aboard weather satellites.
The Global Hydrology and Climate Center (GHCC) in Huntsville, Ala., working with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and several local governments, will conduct the Urban Heat Island Experiment. The GHCC is a joint venture by NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, the Universities Space Research Association, and the Space Science and Technology Alliance of the State of Alabama. UHIPP follows the successful Urban Heat Island Experiment in Atlanta in May 1998. Heat island observation flights are planned for Sacramento and Salt Lake City during June and July. Details are in the Islands in the (Air) Stream story or press releases about the Baton Rouge overflight and the Urban Heat Island Pilot Project.