Intraurban variability of the summertime diurnal temperature range in Baltimore, Maryland
Recent studies have shown that exposure to extreme temperature changes within one day is associated with increased morbidity and mortality. While heat and its variation spatially within cities has been well-studied, the spatial variability of the diurnal temperature range (DTR) is not well character...
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IOP Publishing
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Environmental Research: Health |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1088/2752-5309/adf13b |
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| author | Mikayla B Schoff Darryn W Waugh Benjamin F Zaitchik |
| author_facet | Mikayla B Schoff Darryn W Waugh Benjamin F Zaitchik |
| author_sort | Mikayla B Schoff |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Recent studies have shown that exposure to extreme temperature changes within one day is associated with increased morbidity and mortality. While heat and its variation spatially within cities has been well-studied, the spatial variability of the diurnal temperature range (DTR) is not well characterized. Here we use air temperature data from a network of ∼50 iButton sensors deployed in Baltimore, Maryland over multiple summers between 2016 and 2023 to characterize the spatial variations in DTR. The DTR has a distinct spatial structure compared to T _max and T _min , with DTR having a more complex spatial distribution with high values both within and outside the city. Additionally, while the spatial variations of T _min and T _max are correlated with land characteristics, such as elevation and vegetation, there are no such relationships for DTR. It is suggested that the disconnect between DTR and T _max or T _min occurs because DTR depends primarily on the local (∼ 5 m) rather than neighborhood scale variations in land characteristics. The measured DTR depends on placement of sensor related to forested areas and pavement and can vary as much as 3 °C–4°C between sensors. The differing spatial variation of DTR from T _min and T _max at the scale of the city means health studies should consider DTR as an independent risk factor from T _max and T _min . Further, the wide range of DTR measured within Baltimore and the sensitivity of DTR to the local environment indicates that caution is needed when using DTR from a single measurement station in health or urban planning studies, as the DTR at the station may not be representative of DTR experienced by the city population. |
| format | Article |
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| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2752-5309 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
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| series | Environmental Research: Health |
| spelling | doaj-art-286569beb5fd48938f27cd9ed73632ab2025-08-20T03:35:07ZengIOP PublishingEnvironmental Research: Health2752-53092025-01-013303100310.1088/2752-5309/adf13bIntraurban variability of the summertime diurnal temperature range in Baltimore, MarylandMikayla B Schoff0https://orcid.org/0009-0008-1792-1507Darryn W Waugh1https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7692-2798Benjamin F Zaitchik2https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0698-0658Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Johns Hopkins University , Baltimore, MD, United States of AmericaDepartment of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Johns Hopkins University , Baltimore, MD, United States of AmericaDepartment of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Johns Hopkins University , Baltimore, MD, United States of AmericaRecent studies have shown that exposure to extreme temperature changes within one day is associated with increased morbidity and mortality. While heat and its variation spatially within cities has been well-studied, the spatial variability of the diurnal temperature range (DTR) is not well characterized. Here we use air temperature data from a network of ∼50 iButton sensors deployed in Baltimore, Maryland over multiple summers between 2016 and 2023 to characterize the spatial variations in DTR. The DTR has a distinct spatial structure compared to T _max and T _min , with DTR having a more complex spatial distribution with high values both within and outside the city. Additionally, while the spatial variations of T _min and T _max are correlated with land characteristics, such as elevation and vegetation, there are no such relationships for DTR. It is suggested that the disconnect between DTR and T _max or T _min occurs because DTR depends primarily on the local (∼ 5 m) rather than neighborhood scale variations in land characteristics. The measured DTR depends on placement of sensor related to forested areas and pavement and can vary as much as 3 °C–4°C between sensors. The differing spatial variation of DTR from T _min and T _max at the scale of the city means health studies should consider DTR as an independent risk factor from T _max and T _min . Further, the wide range of DTR measured within Baltimore and the sensitivity of DTR to the local environment indicates that caution is needed when using DTR from a single measurement station in health or urban planning studies, as the DTR at the station may not be representative of DTR experienced by the city population.https://doi.org/10.1088/2752-5309/adf13bheatDTRurban |
| spellingShingle | Mikayla B Schoff Darryn W Waugh Benjamin F Zaitchik Intraurban variability of the summertime diurnal temperature range in Baltimore, Maryland Environmental Research: Health heat DTR urban |
| title | Intraurban variability of the summertime diurnal temperature range in Baltimore, Maryland |
| title_full | Intraurban variability of the summertime diurnal temperature range in Baltimore, Maryland |
| title_fullStr | Intraurban variability of the summertime diurnal temperature range in Baltimore, Maryland |
| title_full_unstemmed | Intraurban variability of the summertime diurnal temperature range in Baltimore, Maryland |
| title_short | Intraurban variability of the summertime diurnal temperature range in Baltimore, Maryland |
| title_sort | intraurban variability of the summertime diurnal temperature range in baltimore maryland |
| topic | heat DTR urban |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1088/2752-5309/adf13b |
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