Heat waves can turn summers into bummers. Each day seems hotter
than the day before, and we begin to wonder whether it will
ever cool off. With global
warming, we'll be sweating through more and more hot times.
Click
to enlarge image  |
| Like
environmental pimples, hot spots pockmark this satellite
image of Sacramento, California. According to NASA, the
hot spots (red and white) are about 25-45 degrees warmer
than the dark areas (green or blue) where trees and shrubs
grow. |
Heat
waves can hit almost anywhere, but they're particularly severe
in and around cities. That's no accident. Consider the key ingredients
of cities and towns. There are buildings and more buildings,
roads and more roads, sidewalks and more sidewalks.
Now think about the amount of asphalt, brick, concrete, and
stone used to construct all those buildings, roads, and sidewalks.
These materials are heavy and dense.
So they heat up quickly—and cool down slowly. As a result,
urban
areas turn into "heat islands" that are far warmer than fields
or forests would be, even in the same location. This is called
the urban
heat island effect.
 |
Temperatures
soar in city centers, where buildings and roads retain
heat. Creating parks, planting trees, and painting roofs
white can help cool things down.
Source: Environmental Protection Agency |
HOT SPOTS AND HEALTH RISKS
Between global warming and the urban island heat effect, cities are truly becoming
the hot spots they've always claimed to be. But this kind
of heat isn't so hot. It can ruin your day, your week, your
vacation—or your health.
You've probably heard of the most common health problems related
to heat waves: heat
exhaustion and heatstroke.
Both can be serious and—if untreated—even deadly.
|
During a normal year, about 175 Americans
die from heat-related ailments. But that
number soars during heat waves. 
