Cedar Rapids, Iowa City will investigate extreme heat using citizen science

Cedar Rapids and Iowa City have been chosen to participate in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s investigation into “urban heat islands” this summer.

Urban heat islands are cities that get substantially hotter — up to 20 degrees Fahrenheit hotter — than their surrounding rural areas due to their human-made infrastructure that absorbs and radiates heat.

NOAA is now in its seventh year of plotting this phenomenon and addressing extreme heat — the No. 1 weather-related cause of death in the United States for the last three decades. This burden disproportionately impacts certain populations — older adults, homeless people, inmates and low-income communities — making it an environmental justice issue.

The Cedar Rapids and Iowa City region marks one of 18 areas in 14 states and one international city that will take part in this year’s campaign. During last year’s campaigns, 782 “citizen scientists” collected over 1 million measurements in 15 U.S. communities.

While the project stems from NOAA, it will rely on volunteers to do the boots-on-the-ground research and collect data.

“Climate change does not respect city boundaries,” said Iowa City climate action coordinator Sarah Gardner. “It's really important to be working with our neighbors — not just the neighbors who live next door, but neighboring communities in these efforts to be better prepared for the climate we're all going to be inhabiting.”

Chosen from the masses

This year’s application cycle was the most competitive yet, said Morgan Zabow, NOAA’s climate program climate and health coordinator. The review panel prioritized applicants that emphasized environmental justice and equity in their proposals, and those showing strong community leadership and organization.

Cedar Rapids and Iowa City fit the bill.

“The great story that they told, which was also very different than a lot of the applicants that we've had so far, was about the derecho event that happened in 2020,” Zabow said, noting the storm’s impact to the tree canopy could be associated with more heat. “It was definitely a different story that we think was worth telling.”

This wasn’t the first time that Iowa City had applied to the effort, said Iowa City climate action analyst Daniel Bissell, now a local leader for the campaign. It tried during the previous application cycle in partnership with several communities. Teaming up with Cedar Rapids the following year, however, did the trick.

“We wanted to get a more in-depth understanding of the effects of the derecho and use this information for planning purposes going forward,” Bissell said.

Citizen science at work

A successful mapping campaign relies on a few key variables: a trained and equipped team, the right maze of monitoring routes and a very, very hot day. CAPA Strategies — a company that NOAA contracts with and funds — will help Iowa City and Cedar Rapids perfect the formula to generate the best possible data set.

To start, the cities must create a game plan to effectively survey heat impacts on the 100 square miles in their jurisdictions. With assistance from CAPA Strategies, they will select monitoring routes based on land use, land cover, popular landmarks, vulnerable populations and local input. High heat areas — like those lacking trees and vegetation — will be prioritized.

Bissell and other local leaders will recruit between 50 and 60 volunteers that will traverse the mapped routes in the morning, afternoon and evening. They will be equipped with sensors to capture temperature, humidity, time and location data.

After that, it’s just the matter of choosing the right day — a scorching hot day. Local weather forecasters will help the cities choose a summer day when temperatures will creep into at least the 90th percentile, when cloud cover is nowhere to be seen.

Then, the volunteers will get to work collecting data about how heat impacts their community.

“We are really excited about the citizen scientist model because we found that data can be more meaningful when the public are the ones out collecting it,” Bissell said. “They have a really in-depth and thorough understanding of where that data is coming from … and how it can be used to help the wider community.”

Data put to use

After the sweltering sun has set on the chosen day, the role of the volunteers will be complete. The fruits of their labor — a heat map created from the data they collected — should be finalized and made public sometime this fall.

Those findings will be implemented into Cedar Rapids’ Community Climate Action Plan and Iowa City’s Climate Action and Adaptation Plan — both of which address issues like climate change, accessibility and sustainability. Locating the cities’ hot spots can help guide tree replanting efforts, resiliency hub planning and more.

“This heat island mapping campaign is a great way for residents to learn about heat islands and take action where they live to prevent heat-related health concerns,” said Sara Maples, Cedar Rapids sustainability program manager, in a statement. “The campaign meets the goals of our climate plan while also helping our residents get involved and work with us to make our community and world a better place.”

On a national scale, the data from Cedar Rapids and Iowa City will contribute to the larger understanding of extreme heat impacts in the country and will help pave the way for solutions.

Brittney J. Miller is the Energy & Environment Reporter for The Gazette and a corps member with Report for America, a national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on under-covered issues. Comments: (319) 398-8370; brittney.miller@thegazette.com