Urban Heat Island Effects to Air and Water Quality in the Augusta Metropolitan Area

Conference · Thu Sep 05 04:00:00 EDT 2024

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/2468746· OSTI ID:2468746

Wermter, Joseph E. ^[1]; Shepherd, J. Marshall ^[2]; Turner, Vivian L. ^[1]; Thomas, Andrew M. ^[1]; Applebaum, Max K. ^[2]; McLeod, Jordan T.

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1. Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL), Aiken, SC (United States)
2. University of Georgia, Athens, GA

The Urban Heat Island (UHI) is the longest-known anthropogenic impact on weather and climate. Urbanization in the 21st century has led to an amplification in UHI effects, which poses environmental concerns as well as public health risks. While the UHI is often observed in larger metropolitan areas, it is less studied in smaller or moderately-sized cities that are still developing. The population of the Augusta Metropolitan Area (AMA) has increased over 10% in the last decade. Because of increasing urban sprawl in conjunction with overall increased anthropogenic warming, it is critical to define Augusta’s UHI impact and model how it could change in the future.

• Research Organization: Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL), Aiken, SC (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE Office of Environmental Management (EM)
• DOE Contract Number: 89303321CEM000080
• OSTI ID: 2468746
• Report Number(s): SRNL-STI-2024-00469
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English