PIERCE COUNTY URBAN HEAT MAPPING
This summer, Pierce County is doing a community heat-mapping project that will bring together local cities, organizations, and volunteers to produce heat maps.
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!
Sign up with a friend or family member to drive one day with a heat sensor!
Why volunteer?
Your contribution will reveal the distribution of heat across your region, helping your city to plan for the future and provide much needed relief.
You will learn about how different neighborhoods vary in terms of heat across the region, and why.
You’ll collect thousands of temperature measurements over 3 one-hour periods.
Are you eager to map your community’s urban heat? It takes a team. Identifying situations where people are vulnerable to heat illness, exploring options for reducing risk, and taking action to improve the situation takes planning, teamwork, and diverse talents.
From start to finish, you'll engage with team members who represent and care for your community.
A day in the life of a heat mapping volunteer!
This video from previous heat mapping projects illustrates what you will be doing this summer in Pierce County.
What is the problem with urban heat?
Concrete, streets, and buildings can trap heat during a heat wave making some neighborhoods even hotter. The difference in temperature between two neighborhoods in Pierce County with the same weather can be as much as 14 degrees.
Extreme heat is dangerous to our communities, especially those with underlying health conditions like heart disease. The public health burden of urban heat islands disproportionately affect low income households. Without intervention, urban heat island impacts will grow in a changing climate.
Urban heat impacts are not equitable. Communities already experiencing the impacts of air pollution, underinvestment, and structural racism are more likely to also live in our hottest neighborhoods.
Pierce County is getting hotter every year. The number of days above 82 degree F has increased more than 50% since 1980. Should this trend continue, our region will experience 42 days above 82F by 2050, and 59 by 2100.
What are we doing about it?
The Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department and partners are conducting an Urban Heat Island Mapping Campaign this summer through a grant from the National Integrated Heat Health Information System (NIHHIS) and CAPA Strategies.
Mapping ambient air temperatures (what it feels like when you step outside) across Pierce County will help us identify opportunities for solutions like planting trees, opening cooling centers, and more.
Comparable and consistent urban heat island data for Pierce County's urban areas will facilitate continued collaboration on policies and programs, like urban forestry planning, that best serve our communities.
PARTNERS
FAQs
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This urban heat mapping project is science-based. To effectively measure heat, the weather conditions must be as follows: Temperatures must be above 81F; No clouds; No marine layers; No precipitation. For this reason, and in consultation with weather experts, we chose Saturday, August 3rd as the primary date for this project with a backup date of Sunday, August 4th. If these two dates do not work, the secondary date will be Saturday, August 10th, and the backup would be Sunday, August 11th. On the form, you will be able to choose on which dates you can be available to volunteer. Thank you for being flexible and willing to offer your time for this project!
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The mapping areas are divided into sections that cover about ten square miles each. Your 2-volunteer team will cover 1 section - one driver and one navigator per section. The areas are Lakewood, Midland-Parkland-Spanaway, Frederickson, South Hill, Bonney Lake, Puyallup, Fife, Sumner, Tehaleh, Lake Tapps, and Gig Harbor.
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Volunteers will either be drivers or navigators.
The sensor and information/materials you need will be provided and you will install them in your car.
To get a good idea of what your day will look like, you can look at the A day in the life of a heat mapping volunteer video.
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Yes! There will be a virtual training and an in-person training:
The first virtual training will be held in mid-July
The second in-person training will be held at the end of July or early August
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With climate change, our region is experiencing heat impacts that communities are not prepared for. From June 26th to July 2nd, 2021, we experienced an unprecedented heat wave, shattering previous temperature records. Statewide, this heat event resulted in 157 heat related deaths in WA state—29 occurring in Pierce County . These heat waves will continue: preparing our communities is critical. Urban heat islands increase maximum temperatures in neighborhoods above local baseline. Combined with regional climactic effects, some Pierce County neighborhoods can be as much as 14 degrees higher than others. In these neighborhoods, mortality rates increase when temps exceed 82 degrees F. The public health burden of urban heat islands is disproportionately levied on the lowest income households. In Pierce County, there is a strong correlation between household income and urban heat islands. Without intervention, urban heat island impacts will grow in a changing climate. The number of days above the 82 degree F threshold has increased more than 50% since 1980. Should this trend continue, our region will experience 42 days above the temperature threshold by 2050, and 59 by 2100. Increasing tree canopy is a strategy to improve health outcomes related to urban heat. While some local jurisdictions have set tree canopy goals, tree canopy is inequitably distributed across Pierce County and many neighborhoods in both cities and unincorporated Pierce County have tree canopy cover as low as 7%. Understanding urban heat distribution will inform tree planting efforts and urban forestry planning.
Our overall aim is to increase tree canopy to reduce urban heat in Pierce County where it is most needed, and to plan for climate resilliency needs. Identify and prioritize neighborhoods and urban blocks that face higher heat exposure in urban forestry planning. Direct tree planting resources to neighborhoods with the most severe heat Island effects and greatest tree canopy deficits. Prioritize identified urban heat island communities for other built or social heat resiliency programming. Engage Pierce County communities in climate resiliency planning and decision-making. Support green jobs in the forestry sector through expanded urban forestry programming. An urban heat island campaign covering the urban areas of Pierce County not yet assessed is an opportunity to build on successful inter-jurisdictional partnerships for urban forestry, heat mitigation, and community resiliency. Understanding how urban heat island data overlaps with income levels and health disparities will help us better plan for heat emergencies, target education, and design outreach on heat-related illness and assistance programs to be most effective. Having comparable and consistent urban heat island data for Pierce County's urban areas will facilitate continued collaboration on policies and programs that best serve our communities. Some examples on how to use this data: WSU Extension will study urban heat impacts like tree health and develop projects such as selecting schools for schoolyard greening. Pierce County’s Parks Department will develop urban forestry management planning, tree planting, and tree retention policies in communities experiencing low tree canopy cover and high urban heat islands. Pierce County’s Planning and Public Works Department will integrate heat vulnerability into Pierce County climate preparedness planning for infrastructure and community resiliency. With this high-resolution map, it will inform nature-based stormwater management planning to protect fish-bearing streams from excessive heat and ensure heat resilience of green stormwater infrastructure. It also informs planning for energy demand management and energy efficiency outreach. It informs planning for community emergency management plans to ensure response to vulnerable populations. It informs maintenance plans for heat-susceptible infrastructure to ensure essential services. It prioritizes tree canopy cover and other heat mitigation strategies along active transportation routes.
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Increasing tree canopy is a strategy to improve health outcomes related to urban heat by providing shade and evaporative cooling.
While some local jurisdictions have set tree canopy goals, tree canopy is inequitably distributed across Pierce County. Many neighborhoods in both cities and unincorporated Pierce County have tree canopy cover as low as 7%. Understanding urban heat distribution will inform tree planting efforts and urban forestry planning.
The Tacoma Tree Foundation brings free trees to the Greater Tacoma areas with low canopy coverage. Check out our programs page for more information.
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Share it on social media by using the hashtags #UrbanHeatIslandMaps2024 #capaheatwatch #PierceCountyIsSoHotRightNow #HeatEquity
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The Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department has been awarded an Urban Heat Island Mapping Campaign grant through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The purpose of the award is to collect on-the-ground temperature data to provide accurate information on the heat experienced by the Pierce County community this summer.
More information at:
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Feel free to contact aaron@tacomatreefoundation.org