Modeling Urban Heat Island Changes in Spokane, Washington
Presentation Time: Thu, 08/07/2025 - 10:00
Keywords: Urban Heat Island, Temperature Analysis, Landsat, Spokane, Climate Change
As climate change continues to cause summers to be hotter, and winters warmer, studying the effects of this heat is increasingly important so that mitigation steps can be taken now rather than when it becomes too late. The urban heat island effect is caused by urban surfaces retaining more solar radiation and emitting more heat than natural surfaces would. Urban heat islands pose threats to vulnerable populations, such as those who are of a lower socioeconomic status, the unhoused, and the elderly. The Spokane Metropolitan Area is the largest city in eastern Washington and has continually seen an increase in average summer temperatures over the past twenty years. Local community programs and universities have begun to monitor how the more extreme heat events are affecting the local environment and planning for the future, and the city’s Urban Forestry Department is working to increase the city’s tree canopy to 30% by 2030. This study uses a compilation of thermal data from the summer months of 2000 – 2024 to analyze how the urban heat islands have shifted throughout the Spokane metro, and census data to identify how the hottest areas break down by demographic. Mitigation is modeled by using building footprints to showcase how a cool roof program would assist in dispersing heat more effectively, as well as how creating more greenspace in the hottest areas would offer relief from extreme heat events.
