ARTICLES
The Schools Weather and Air Quality (SWAQ) Project (continued)
For the first time the SWAQ network will allow detailed analysis
of the impacts of urbanisation on Sydney’s weather, climate and
air quality. With these observations the magnitude of the urban
heat island, and how it differs across the city, can be calculated.
The spatial variability of the health and energy impacts of heat
and air quality can also be analysed. For example, data collected
can be used in research related to the weather-sensitivity of
energy consumption, and provide insights into how weather (e.g.
heatwaves) may interact with urban air quality to impact human
health.
Sydney Commission, 2018). The consequent urbanisation is
predicted to adversely impact temperature and air quality in the
areas of most rapid population growth. At present the intensity
of Sydney’s UHI (the temperature difference between the city
and its rural surroundings) is difficult to calculate due to a lack
of temperature observations in the rural surrounds. The location
of Sydney in a coastal basin also complicates factors because
a coastal rural site will differ significantly from an inland rural
site due to the moderating influence of the ocean and the sea
breeze. SWAQ monitoring sites enhance existing air quality and
meteorology networks by targeting regions lacking monitoring
instruments, specifically urban growth areas and the rural fringe.
Get Involved!
The SWAQ team aims to work collaboratively with schools
and teachers on the educational components of the project.
The team would like to hear from teachers interested in either
being part of the primary school observation network (must be
in the greater Sydney area), SWAQ outreach and classroom
activities on urban climatology or NSW Secondary teachers
who are interested in providing input to help develop student
projects using the network data.
Please go to www.swaq.org.au and sign up to the mailing list.
SWAQ is one of several educational resources supported by
CLEX.
(https://climateextremes.org.au/special-projects/).
References:
1. Di Virgilio, Hart MA, Jiang N (2018): Meteorological controls on atmospheric
particulate pollution during hazard reduction burns. Atmospheric Chemistry
and Physics. 18, 6585-6599. doi:10.5194/acp-18-6585- 2018
2. Greater Sydney Commission (2018): Greater Sydney Region Plan: A
metropolis of three cities. State of New South Wales. https://gsc-public-1.s3-
ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/greater-sydney-region-plan-0618.pdf
3. Hart M. and Sailor DJ (2009): Quantifying the influence of land-use and surface
characteristics on spatial variability in the urban heat island. Theoretical and
Applied Climatology. 95: 397-406.
4. Krayenhoff ES, Moustaoui M, Broadbent AM, Gupta V, Georgescu M (2018):
Diurnal interaction between urban expansion, climate change and adaptation
in US cities. Nature Climate Change 8, 1097 – 1103.
5. Oke T (2006): Initial guidance to obtain representative meteorological
observations at urban sites. Instruments and Observing methods report no.
81. World Meteorological Organization.
Projected population growth (2036) and areas of planned urban
development for Sydney.
6. Thorpe AL and Hart MA. (2013): Changing Climates, Changing Cities?
Planning Reform and Urban Sustainability in New South Wales. The
Australasian Journal of Natural Resources Law and Policy 16(2):133-156
Importantly, SWAQ sensors are sited differently from standard
weather stations which are installed away from built spaces.
SWAQ is interested in the impacts of the urban environment upon
weather and air quality, and thus sensors are to be installed in
courtyards, school playgrounds and street canyons, according
to the World Meteorological Organisation’s (WMO) guidance for
observations at urban sites (Oke, 2006).
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SCIENCE EDUCATIONAL NEWS VOL 68 NO 1