New York Heat Island

[Image: New York City mapped according to surface temperature and vegetation, courtesy of NASA's Earth Observatory. "In summer 2002," we read, "Stuart Gaffin of Columbia University and his colleagues used satellite temperature data, city-wide land cover maps, and weather data, along with a regional climate model to identify the best strategies for cooling Gaffin’s hometown, New York City. As part of the study, the team used thermal infrared satellite data measured by NASA’s Landsat Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus on August 14, one of the hottest days in New York’s 2002 summer. Landsat also collected vegetation data." If you're curious, read more about so-called urban heat islands, or "the tendency of cities to experience warmer temperatures than surrounding rural and suburban areas."].