Parks and the urban heat island: A longitudinal study in Westfield, Massachusetts

Robert S. Bristow; Robert Blackie; Nicole Brown

Treesearch

Parks and the urban heat island: A longitudinal study in Westfield, Massachusetts

Informally Refereed

Authors:

Robert S. Bristow, Robert Blackie, Nicole Brown

Year:

2012

Type:

Other

Station:

Northern Research Station

Source:

In: Fisher, Cherie LeBlanc; Watts, Clifton E., Jr., eds. Proceedings of the 2010 Northeastern Recreation Research Symposium. Gen. Tech. Rep. NRS-P-94. Newtown Square, PA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northern Research Station: 224-230.

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Abstract

Urban landscapes often have warmer temperatures than the surrounding countryside, a phenomenon known as the urban heat island (UHI) effect. This study compares and contrasts temperatures across Westfield, Massachusetts, a moderate size New England city, and considers the influence that the city’s parks and protected areas have on the local microclimate. The data show a clear urban heat island in the downtown area of Westfield and show that the urban heat island grew larger between 1993 and 2009.

Parent Publication

Proceedings of the 2010 Northeastern Recreation Research Symposium

Citation

Bristow, Robert S.; Blackie, Robert; Brown, Nicole. 2012. Parks and the urban heat island: A longitudinal study in Westfield, Massachusetts. In: Fisher, Cherie LeBlanc; Watts, Clifton E., Jr., eds. Proceedings of the 2010 Northeastern Recreation Research Symposium. Gen. Tech. Rep. NRS-P-94. Newtown Square, PA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northern Research Station: 224-230.