Skip to main content

Scorching Phoenix plans for an even hotter future


August 16, 2012

As part of its “NPR Cities Project,” National Public Radio’s "All Things Considered" program on Aug. 14 reported on how Phoenix residents are coping with heat, and ideas about how to adapt to even warmer summers in future years. 

For an explanation of the challenges faced, reporter Peter O’Dowd turned to Nancy Selover, a state climatologist and ASU research professor. She explained that as Phoenix grows, more of the sun’s energy is trapped in built structures, causing nights to be warmer and warmer – the urban heat island effect.

Climate models forecast longer droughts and higher temperatures in the future, likely adding to the challenges of coping with heat.

"As a desert city, Phoenix is kind of a laboratory for us to figure out what works and what doesn't work, to try to mitigate those things,” Selover comments in the report.

For more information about climate and weather in Arizona, visit the website of the Arizona State Climate Office.

Article source: National Public Radio

More ASU in the news

 

Arizona State University helping prepare people for careers in growing semiconductor industry

Matthew McConaughey and ASU are helping an Arizona school district. Here's how

We need to address the generative AI literacy gap in higher education