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Think your neighborhood is hotter than others in town? Researchers looking for volunteers for ‘urban heat islands’ study

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The city of Jacksonville and the University of North Florida are partnering up to figure out what parts of the city are hotter than others and they are looking for volunteers.

The specific date has not been determined yet, but organizers are aiming for one of the hottest days of the summer, sometime in June.

The campaign is meant to identify local urban hotspots.

RELATED: A study on Jacksonville urban heat will be a hot topic

So-called “urban heat islands” can get up to 20 degrees hotter than other places because things like buildings and pavement can amplify those levels.

Environmentalists say extreme heat kills more Americans than any other weather event, with 600 people dying every year.

This remapping program is a part of the Biden Administration’s “Justice 40: Initiative,” which is an effort to make sure federal agencies work with state and local communities to give 40% of benefits from federal investment in climate and clean energy to disadvantaged communities.

There will be two volunteers in every car assigned, a driver and a navigator with a sensor also mounted on the car. People can also do this while riding a bike.

The volunteers will have to drive or ride around in a particular neighborhood of their choice for an hour, three different times that day.

The first ride will be from 6 a.m. to 7 a.m., then the second ride from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m., and lastly from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. that night as the sensors will record the temperatures and humidity that day.

If you’re interested in volunteering for this campaign, you can register here.


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