Identifying the Change in Heat and Land-Use
Provided by: University of Connecticut|Published on: May 15, 2024
Grades: 11, 12, AP
Type: Data, Graphs, and Maps
Subjects: Earth and Space Sciences, Civics
Authors: University of Connecticut
Region: North America, USA - Northeast, United States, Connecticut, Coastal CT
Languages: English
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Learn about our review process →
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Learn about our review process →
Synopsis
- This scientific paper details a study of the relationship between land cover changes over the last 20 years and surface temperature in two Connecticut counties, New Haven and Fairfield.
- This research guides Connecticut towns in addressing and adapting to extreme heat by recommending modifications to city planning practices.
Teaching Materials
Positives
- The scientific report includes numerous figures such as thematic maps, box plots, infographics, tables, and graphs to help visualize the information.
- The resource helps students understand the connection between city planning and climate change and will inspire students to advocate for more environmentally conscious city plans.
Additional Prerequisites
- This report is challenging and includes difficult vocabulary, data collection techniques, and statistical analysis. Teachers should use it with advanced high school students or in college courses.
- Students should understand the urban heat island effect and the impact of gray infrastructure on the environment.
Differentiation
- Students will likely need support to understand the text and interpret the figures. Teachers should consider walking through the report as a class to explain unfamiliar concepts and answer student questions.
- Students can research and propose strategies to increase the tree canopy cover on private and public properties and create a means to communicate these ideas to their city planners or private landowners.
- When using this resource in civics, students can focus on how this research can guide city planning decisions and how to influence this change.
- Science classes can use this report to learn about satellite data collection, surface temperature, heat index, the causes of rising temperatures, and the environmental impacts of land-use changes.
- Statistics classes can make cross-curricular connections due to the statistical analysis used to interpret the relationship between changes in land use, land cover, and surface temperature.
- Younger students or students with low reading stamina can read just the Executive Summary to understand the basics of the report.
This resource is a research paper that examines how land-use change impacts the urban heat island in Fairfield and New Haven counties, Connecticut. The report bases its findings on primary research and depicts them in well-organized figures and tables, making trends easy to spot. The text has thoughtful organization and includes a helpful glossary. The paper is exceptionally well-sourced and cites several pages of peer-reviewed sources. This resource clearly expresses the importance of thoughtful land-use planning to protect human health in a changing climate and is recommended for teaching.
Teaching Tips
Standards
Resource Type and Format
Scientist Reviewed
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Our review process ensures that every resource in our library reflects the current state of climate science.
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