NEWS BRIEF: Spelman climate researchers creating city “heat map”
Atlanta runs hot and cold
Photo credit: CL File
Researchers at Spelman College are conducting a citywide study into which Atlanta neighborhoods reach the highest temperatures, which ones stay cooler, and the demographics of each. Na’Taki Jelks and Guanyu Huang, both assistant professors of environmental and health sciences, say climate change and the loss of the city’s tree canopy are among the more obvious causes of the new highs and lows. They are working with the city and the National Weather Service to create an “urban heat map” while finding ways to mitigate the effects of extreme heat. gpb.org