Does more blacktop equal more heat?

-


Ah, the fresh smell of asphalt. There's nothing like that intense odor in summer time, NOT! OK, I'm grateful that my local government has paved my street with fresh blacktop. We were overdue for a new coating after 20 years what with cracks and minor potholes.

These days I wonder if there's an alternative to blacktop since the science community says that more blacktop  roads add to the summertime" heat island" in the metro. Really, more blacktop equals a more intense "heat island?"

The "more blacktop roads theory" is not exactly preposterous since we all should know that darker colors means more heat. This is why so many school districts put white roofs on school buses to cool off those vehicles and hopefully cool off the kids. Cooler kids means less bus trouble - or so that theory says.

But what exactly is this "heat island?" Apparently meteorologists inform us that metro areas like Atlanta produce this area of more intense heat than the less populated areas. Makes perfect sense, right?

Experts go on to say that more intense daytime heating within the heat islands feeds those afternoon storms which translate into more powerful lightning storms.  More lightning fires occur and that is something fire and police departments across the nation must not be enchanted with one bit.

Of course, one may also conclude that more of our activity contributes to the summertime heat island including fewer trees from construction, home and car air-conditioning and of course, vehicle exhaust.

I'm not sure if all of these findings are definitive, but that's quite disturbing if it is all true.


OK, now for the dose of what's more than well-known: heat island or no heat island, it's more than obvious that August is a challenging hot month in metro Atlanta and the rest of the Southeastern U.S. 

Is there a way that we can collectively do things to reduce summertime temps? What do you think?  


Comments

Post a Comment

Most viewed

Condos. Cutting-edge restaurants. Trendy shopping.

-
There’s a whole other side to Orlando beside the massive Disney World in nearby Lake Buena Vista. If the ordinary Disney trip doesn’t interest you this year, try an extraordinary visit to Orlando and its neighborhoods. You’ll quickly learn that the area is full of historic districts and ethnic diversity. (more)
Read more

Take time out for Virginia’s Shenandoah region

-
About 30 years ago my family made a classic 1970s trek to Washington, D.C. Even though the sights and sounds of D.C. left an impression on me, it was the trip through Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley that introduced me to the region’s natural beauty. Dressed in our blue “Virginia Is For Lovers” T-shirts (which I kept for several years after), we rolled down the windows of our spacious Oldsmobile to take in the scenery. Click here for the full story.
Read more

Flashback: Billy Joel's Sax Player (Mark Rivera profile-March 2007)

-
It is 2:30 in the afternoon at Midtown Atlanta's Four Seasons Hotel and Mark Rivera is pacing his hotel suite bursting with ideas. The task of keeping up with Rivera's thoughts is daunting to say the least. The words explode from him like a Fourth of July fireworks show on steroids. From stories of working with John Lennon, Ringo Starr, Peter Gabriel and most notably -- becoming Billy Joel's ever-conspicuous sax player/backup vocalist, Rivera is on a big, white, puffy cloud every time he conjures up those legendary memories. Who wouldn't be? The challenge for Rivera on this balmy late-February afternoon is to fit those anecdotes and personal thoughts on the future and state of the world into a half-hour conversation which must conclude before he boards a bus to Birmingham for his role in that evening's Billy Joel show. Indeed Rivera will be back in his Atlanta hotel room in about 48 hours, but there will be no time for follow-up questions. He will be handling...
Read more