Personal exposure to heat is an environmental hazard that might not make the same headlines as hurricanes or wildfires. But its effects are devastating.
Personal exposure to heat is an environmental hazard that might not make the same headlines as hurricanes or wildfires. But its effects are devastating. On average, about 658 people die each year in the U.S. from heat-related illness such as heat stroke, not to mention the unreported cases of heat exhaustion.
Arizona State University (ASU) researchers are leading an effort to gather much-needed data on heat exposure. They collected sensor data over the summer of 2016 from 55 volunteers in Phoenix, Arizona. As participants went about their daily lives, sensors recorded their ambient temperature every five minutes. Researchers also went door-to-door conducting surveys and collecting journal information about their experiences and behaviors.
The science team’s personal heat exposure data won a 2022 DesignSafe Dataset Award, which recognized the dataset's diverse contributions to natural hazards research.
“These datasets fill what many researchers have identified as a critical link in understanding the potential vulnerabilities to heat faced by different communities across the country,” said dataset co-author David Hondula, an associate professor in the School of Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning at ASU.
Read more at University of Texas at Austin, Texas Advanced Computing Center
Image: Arizona State University researchers are leading an effort to gather much-needed data on heat exposure. They gathered temperature and humidity measurements and also time activity diaries of volunteers in Phoenix, Arizona. Their dataset received a 2022 DesignSafe Dataset Award, which recognized the dataset's diverse contributions to natural hazards research. (Credit: David Hondula, Arizona State University)
