{"id":16836,"date":"2024-03-11T13:47:25","date_gmt":"2024-03-11T13:47:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/2024\/03\/11\/this-simple-solution-could-bring-some-chill-to-scorching-summer-heat\/"},"modified":"2024-03-11T13:47:25","modified_gmt":"2024-03-11T13:47:25","slug":"this-simple-solution-could-bring-some-chill-to-scorching-summer-heat","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/2024\/03\/11\/this-simple-solution-could-bring-some-chill-to-scorching-summer-heat\/","title":{"rendered":"This simple solution could bring some chill to scorching summer heat"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Summers are becoming increasingly dangerous, especially in cities where the warming effects of tall buildings, concrete and asphalt send temperatures soaring. But there might be a simple, potentially inexpensive way to put a chill on urban heat: retroreflectors. <\/p>\n

A study published Monday in the journal Nature Cities found when retroreflective material was installed on buildings, it decreased the surface temperature of those buildings by up to 36 degrees Fahrenheit, and air temperatures by nearly 5 degrees. <\/p>\n

Reducing building temperature is \u201cvery, very important\u201d for pedestrians at street level, said Elie Bou-Zeid, co-author of the study and professor of civil and environmental engineering at Princeton University, \u201cbecause those walls radiate a lot of heat on you.\u201d <\/p>\n

Cooling those surfaces by 36 degrees \u201cwill make you feel significantly more comfortable,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s almost like being in the shade.\u201d <\/p>\n

Cities are significantly warmer than their surrounding suburbs and rural areas because of the way they are built. Tall buildings, dark roofs, asphalt and concrete absorb the sun\u2019s rays and reflect its energy back into the environment as heat \u2013 the so-called urban heat island effect. <\/p>\n

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Related article<\/span> Cities are hotter than ever. Here are 5 things they can do about it<\/span> <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Urban designers have started to implement simple solutions to counteract the urban heat phenomenon, including painting roads white, planting more trees and building green roofs. But researchers say using retroreflective materials would have a more powerful cooling effect. <\/p>\n

Retroreflectors take advantage of a simple concept: a number of mirrors in the shape of a cube corner reflects light back in the direction it came from. The same can be achieved with a mirror in the shape of a bowl. <\/p>\n

They\u2019re used in road signs and bicycle reflectors, for instance, to ensure headlights reflect to drivers\u2019 eyes. They\u2019re also used in running clothes with reflective strips on them. Cats\u2019 eyes have similar, naturally occurring retroreflectors, which is why they appear to glow when you shine a light on them. <\/p>\n

Bou-Zeid said retroreflective material could be developed as sheets or coatings to install on city surfaces. Given the material itself is relatively inexpensive, it could be a low-cost solution to an increasingly dangerous phenomenon, as temperatures continue to climb due to planet-warming pollution. <\/p>\n

Small-scale versions of the idea have already been tested in the Netherlands and Italy. But there is no large-scale example yet because of how difficult it is to retrofit existing buildings. <\/p>\n

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Related article<\/span> These 3 solutions could turn the tide on the climate crisis<\/span> <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Some US cities have taken steps to tackle extreme heat. Los Angeles streets were painted with a grayish-white coating to reflect sunlight and keep air temperatures cooler \u2013 just like a light shirt will keep you cooler than a dark one in the hot summer sun. But researchers say this solution is less effective than retroreflective material, which reflects sunlight back toward the sun \u201cand not to other objects on the ground,\u201d Bou-Zeid said. <\/p>\n

There is one downside to it, though: It would make winters feel even colder \u2013 reflecting sunlight at a time when it\u2019s beneficial \u2013 which could create new public health concerns. Bou-Zeid said it might be possible to design reflective materials that \u201cturn off\u201d when needed. <\/p>\n

\u201cWhen it\u2019s very hot during the summer, they become white and reflect a lot back to the sky,\u201d Bou-Zeid said. \u201cWhen it\u2019s very cold during the winter, they become black and don\u2019t reflect a lot and mostly absorb (the sun\u2019s) energy.\u201d <\/p>\n

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Related article<\/span> Where sinking cities are pushing sea level rise into overdrive<\/span> <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

To help reduce the urban impact of the climate crisis, cities need to implement as many measures as they can to adapt to and mitigate these changes, said Xinjie Huang, the lead author of the study and doctoral researcher at Princeton. <\/p>\n\n

This post appeared first on cnn.com<\/div>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Summers are becoming increasingly dangerous, especially in cities where the warming effects of tall buildings, concrete and asphalt send temperatures soaring. But there might be a simple, potentially inexpensive way to put a chill on urban heat: retroreflectors. A study published Monday in the journal Nature Cities found when retroreflective material was installed on buildings, <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":16837,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-16836","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16836","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16836"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16836\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/16837"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16836"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16836"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16836"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}