Unequal exposure to heatwaves in Los Angeles: Impact of uneven green spaces

• DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.ade8501
• Publication Date: 2023-04-28T17:58:20Z
• Authors: Yi Yin; Liyin He; Paul O. Wennberg; Christian Franken...
• Keywords: Urban Heat Island; Land Cover; Albedo (alchemy); Heat wave

Cities worldwide are experiencing record-breaking summer temperatures. Urban environments exacerbate extreme heat, resulting in not only the urban heat island but also intracity variations exposure. Understanding these disparities is crucial to support equitable climate mitigation and adaptation efforts. We found persistent negative correlations between daytime land surface temperature (LST) median household income across Los Angeles metropolitan area based on Ecosystem Spaceborne Thermal Radiometer Experiment Space Station observations from 2018 2021. Lower evapotranspiration unequal distribution of vegetation cover a major factor leading higher LST low-income neighborhoods. Disparities worsen with regional mean temperature, $10,000 decrease ~0.2°C increase at 20°C up ~0.7°C 45°C. With more frequent intense waves projected future, measures, such as increasing albedo tree neighborhoods, necessary address disparities.