Intense humidity and the concrete and asphalt that make up city landscapes are turning up the heat in South Florida. Dr. Ken Feeley at the University of Miami investigates how urban design affects the actual temperatures people and plants experience, and he needs your help to pinpoint some of the hottest parts of the region starting with your schoolyard. Did you know that concrete traps heat while high humidity blocks natural cooling by preventing sweat from evaporating off your skin and water from transpiring off plants? That combination is what makes humid Florida afternoons feel so brutal. To measure this effect, scientists use Wet-Bulb Temperature, which calculates how effectively moisture can evaporate to cool a surface.

Your challenge is to form a hypothesis about which areas of your campus feel hottest or coolest, and have the highest or lowest air temperature and Wet-Bulb Temperature. Then, follow the Shade Our Schools Experiment Protocol to measure the gap between air temperature and Wet-Bulb Temperature at 6 different sites across your campus over one month. Use your findings to create a 1-2 minute Public Service Announcement (PSA) video for your family and school community. Explain why Wet-Bulb Temperature matters, and recommend how smart urban design and vegetation can help keep our communities cool. Your measurements and findings will be shared with Dr. Feeley to inform which places feel the heat the most.

Download information as one page with lesson plan – Coming Soon!