Ladd Keith, Ph.D.

Tag: publication

  • Extreme Heat at Outdoor COVID-19 Sites

    Extreme Heat at Outdoor COVID-19 Sites

    Final paper of my Extreme Heat at Outdoor COVID-19 Vaccination Sites research with Nicole Iroz-Elardo, Erika Austhof, Ida Sami, and Mona Arora is now available! The project began by invitation from the site operators who were very responsive in using the recommendations. It was an honor to work on this project with my colleagues to help increase the safety of the dedicated volunteers and workers involved in the early vaccination efforts.

    Abstract

    Extreme heat is an increasing climate risk due to climate change and the urban heat island (UHI) effect and can jeopardize points of dispensing (PODs) for COVID-19 vaccination distribution and broader public health emergency preparedness (PHEP) response operations. These PODs were often located on large parking lot sites with high heat severity and did not take heat mitigation or management strategies into account for unacclimated workers and volunteers. To investigate the personal heat exposure of workers, volunteers, and clients at three PODs in Tucson, Arizona, we collected ambient air temperatures, wet bulb globe temperatures (WBGT), surface temperatures, and thermal images. We also made qualitative observations and compared data against daily meteorological records. Ambient air temperatures at all three PODs exceeded the meteorological recorded high. WBGT on average were 8°F (4.4 °C) higher in full sun locations than shaded locations such as tents. Evaporative cooling decreased ambient air temperatures by 2°F (1.2 °C) when placed one per tent, but decreased ambient air temperatures by 7°F (3.9 °C) when placed en masse in a larger tent. Vehicle surface temperatures exceeded recommended safe limits of 140°F (60 °C) at all three sites, with a maximum temperature recorded at 170.9°F (77.2 °C). Public health professionals should consider heat resilience, including heat mitigation and management measures, in POD and PHEP response operations to reduce exposure. This includes considering the UHI effect in the siting of PODs, applying heat mitigation strategies in the design of PODs such as the adaptive use of solar panels for shading, and improving heat safety guidance for workers and volunteers.

    Full open-access paper is online at: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2667278221000407

  • Planning for extreme heat: A review

    Check out my new open access literature review paper with Sara Meerow and Tess Wagner, where we present the current state of planning for extreme heat, find many papers focused on mapping and modeling heat but far less on urban planning and governance, and discuss challenges and opportunities in research and practice!

    Abstract

    Extreme heat is a growing concern for cities, with both climate change and the urban heat island (UHI) effect increasingly impacting public health, economies, urban infrastructure, and urban ecology. To better understand the current state of planning for extreme heat, we conducted a systematic literature review. We found that most of the research focuses on UHI mapping and modeling, while few studies delve into extreme heat planning and governance processes. An in-depth review of this literature reveals common institutional, policy, and informational barriers and strategies for overcoming them. Identified challenges include siloed heat governance and research that limit cross-governmental and interdisciplinary collaboration; complex, context-specific, and diverse heat resilience strategies; the need to combine extreme heat “risk management” strategies (focused on preparing and responding to extreme heat events) and “design of the built environment” strategies (spatial planning and design interventions that intentionally reduce urban temperatures); and the need for extensive, multidisciplinary data and tools that are often not readily available. These challenges point to several avenues for future heat planning research. Ultimately, we argue that planners have an important role to play in building heat resilience and conclude by identifying areas where scholars and practitioners can work together to advance our understanding of extreme heat planning.

    Citation

    Keith, Ladd, Sara Meerow, and Tess Wagner. 2020. Planning for extreme heat: A review. Journal of Extreme Events. 6(3&4), 2050003.  http://dx.doi.org/10.1142/S2345737620500037