Urban Climate and Sustainability
Climate change can hit urban areas particularly hard. Many of the effects from intense heat, heavy precipitation, flooding, and poor air quality are enhanced in developed areas. The ISWS Integrated Climate Research Group, led by Ashish Sharma, studies surface-atmosphere interactions that affect cities from local neighborhoods to regional areas. The group also develops adaptation and mitigation strategies to reduce climate vulnerabilities in complex urban environments and devises action plans for cities.
The group works on fundamental, applied, and translational thrusts of urban climate research. On the fundamental side, the group studies land-atmosphere-ocean/lake interactions impacting urban fluid dynamics and boundary layer flows. Specifically, the group develops tools to study how cities modify storms and heatwaves over urban areas. In the applied research, the group uses numerical models to evaluate the impact of adaptation and mitigation strategies in cities. On the translational side, they collaborate with city officials, non-profits, and other local stakeholders to design integrated solutions to reduce climate-induced vulnerabilities impacting urban life.
Integrated urban research is critical as cities are multiscale, interdependent, social, natural, and engineered complex systems and need a better understanding and enhanced awareness of environmental impacts related to sustainability, health, and prosperity. The team’s approach increases collaboration between academia, local communities, and private/public stakeholders on environmental justice issues and policy for climate-induced vulnerabilities in cities.
