Environmental Studies Program
Date of this Version
Fall 2016
Citation
Environmental Studies Undergraduate Student Thesis, University of Nebraska–Lincoln, 2016
Abstract
The purpose of this research was to prove Lincoln Nebraska is an urban heat island, and temperatures within canopy are on average warmer than outside of canopy. This research is important because an urban heat leads to negative impacts on the human health, higher energy costs are evident, and has detrimental effects on aquatic ecosystems. In the study, temperatures under canopy and outside of canopy were recorded both in the dense urban area of Lincoln, as well as its rural counterpart 10.9 miles from the city center at Deer Springs Winery. The temperatures were then graphed to analyze the differences. The four months of data showed that canopy temperatures inside Lincoln were 1-4 oF warmer and no canopy temperatures in the city were 2-5 oF warmer, making Lincoln an urban heat island. Longer than 4 months of data across multiple seasons would improve the credibility and accuracy of the data along with better technology, such as remote sensing.
Comments
Copyright © 2016 Evan Malloy