The combined effect of global climate change and rapid urbanization makes urban residents more vulnerable to a range of environmental problems, including high levels of air pollution, difficult management of energy consumption and health risks related to exposure to heat waves.

Urban measurements and atmospheric models are valuable tools for acquiring accurate spatial and temporal information with a high level of detail for assessing the characteristics of the UHI effect.

The topic is at the center of the LIFE ASTI project , in which the ISAC CNR ( Institute of Atmospheric and Climate Sciences )  participates, which aims to design, implement, validate and pilot a series of forecasting systems for prediction to short term of the urban heat island effect (UHI) during heat waves and their impact on health in the two Mediterranean cities of Thessaloniki and Rome.

Read the full article in Italian here.