Join Tri-County Heat-Mapping Campaign and Help Plan for the Future
Pacific University’s Public Health Program and the Center for a Sustainable Society are joining a tri-county heat-mapping campaign this summer to identify urban heat islands in our region. A heat-mapping campaign is a community science project that helps identify the neighborhoods most impacted on hot days.
Organizers are looking for volunteers with a flexible schedule to drive along pre-planned street routes and take temperature readings with a partner for one hour using a sensor mounted to the passenger side of a car. Your contribution will reveal the distribution of heat across the region, helping local cities to plan for the future and provide much needed relief.
Volunteers in Multnomah, Clackamas, and Washington counties will be required to participate in an in-person or online training on June 15, 16 or 21. The National Weather Service will identify the best single day in mid-July to conduct the campaign and volunteers will be notified by email.
Pacific University Public Health Assistant Professor Adelle Monteblanco, whose research focuses on extreme heat and its health impacts on vulnerable populations, encourages staff, faculty, students and alumni to engage in the campaign.
“If you are invested in the long-term sustainability of our county and the health of its residents, please sign up to volunteer. Your data collection efforts will help city planners and climate scientists identify the hottest neighborhoods across the region and inform local solutions that reduce the dangerous effects of heat," she said.
Many in our Pacific University community remember the recent “heat dome” — a historic heat wave in June 2021 which broke numerous temperature records and was responsible for 100s of deaths across the Northwest. In the U.S., extreme heat and humidity is one of the leading weather-related killers. Cities need to understand the heat exposure that impacts their residents, workers, and visitors.
Learn more about the 2023 Regional Campaign to Map Urban Heat Islands