Heat Waves (main)

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Heat Waves


HeatWave.png.jpeg

Pakistan was in the midst of a heat wave on June 10, 2007 when NASA’s Terra satellite captured the top image that shows how hot the land would feel to the touch.

Jesse Allen NASA

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  • Humans and Heat Waves Featured Article Humans and Heat Waves Humans and Heat Waves
    As global maximum temperatures rise, heat waves are becoming more pronounced. Europe experienced the hottest summer on record in 2003, with average temperatures 3.5°C above... More »
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ClimateCities1 NSF-CarlyeCalvin.jpg Climate Change and Unprepared Cities Last Updated on 2011-04-09 00:00:00 Climate Change Poses Major Risks for Unprepared Cities Fast-growing urban areas most likely to feel the heat Cities worldwide are failing to take necessary steps to protect residents from the likely impacts of climate, even though billions of urban dwellers are vulnerable to heat and cold waves. A new examination of urban policies by Patricia Romero Lankao at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in Boulder, Colo., in conjunction with an international research project on cities and climate, warns that many of the world's fast-growing urban areas, especially in developing countries, may suffer disproportionately from heat, particularly due to the urban heat island effect. Her work also concludes that most cities are failing to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases that... More »
Humans and heat waves.jpg Humans and Heat Waves Last Updated on 2010-12-16 00:00:00 As global maximum temperatures rise, heat waves are becoming more pronounced. Europe experienced the hottest summer on record in 2003, with average temperatures 3.5°C above normal. [1] During a 2-week period in August 2003, between 30,899 and 49,004 Europeans died from heat-related causes. Mortality was highest among the old, chronically ill, and isolated. [2] Was this a natural disaster, independent from human activities? [3] Under the warming anticipated during the next 40 years, similar heat waves will be 100 times more likely to occur. Some climate models also predicted that California will experience more severe heat waves. However, the realities of temperatures from 1990 to present have revealed that those temperature models greatly overpredicted temperature rise, and that many parts of California have had record cold years as recently as 2023. In an older era from 1961 to 1990, an average of 165 people in Los Angeles died each year from heat-related causes. A... More »
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