Surface Temperatures in Nashville

Jayden Morris, a student at Murray State University in Murray, Kentucky, produced this map of land surface temperatures in Nashville, Tennessee. Morris was interested in the urban heat island effect in one of the country's fastest growing cities. He writes in his analysis, now posted on the ECOSTRESS science website that "Visible as a dark streak across the image, the Cumberland River has the lowest temperature of any feature in the selected area due to water’s high specific heat capacity. Urban areas, which are covered by asphalt and other surfaces with low albedos, have temperatures up to 53 °C. In contrast, the surrounding forested neighborhoods are much cooler, with temperatures as low as 38 °C - this is up to 15 °C cooler than the treeless urban areas. Vegetation is effective in cooling urban areas.."