Heat Waves and Their Impacts on Human
Health in Urban Areas of Central Oklahoma
Emma Fagan, Jessica Voveris, Kyle Thiem
University of Oklahoma, School of Meteorology
Heather BasaraAssistant Professor, University of Oklahoma
Department of Geography
Jeffrey BasaraAssociate Professor, University of Oklahoma
School of Meteorology
Background Heat waves are common occurrences Especially dangerous within urban environments
UHI phenomenon Higher air pollutant concentrations
Chicago (1995), Europe (2003), Russia (2010)
Basara et al. 2008
Societal Impacts Heat, respiratory, and cardiovascular related illnesses increase exponentially during extreme heat events Increased urbanization in the future Heat waves are projected to increase in frequency, longevity, and intensity Better mitigation techniques are needed
European Heat Wave of 2003
Research Goals Expand the current knowledge of the
relationships between heat waves, urban environments, and human health
Determine which populations are most at risk during extreme heat events within Oklahoma City at a neighborhood scale
Procedures Calculate apparent temperature via Oklahoma Mesonet and Oklahoma City Micronet data from the Central Oklahoma heat wave from 2008 for urban, suburban, and rural areas. Analyze demographic risk factors such as age, socio-economic status, geographic location, income, education level, & ethnicity Use ArcGIS software to overlay apparent temperature, ozone, and demographic data from U.S. Census Bureau
Basara et al. 2011
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