Learning activities
A citizen science project
Students will engage in the Cool Places Cool Spaces citizen science project being developed by City of Ryde Council in partnership with Field of Mars EEC and The School of Built Environment, University of New South Wales.
This is an exciting opportunity for students to play a key role in how the City of Ryde is planning for resilient town centres and communities. To be involved in how local government and communities can mitigate and adapt to local climate change impacts.
Fieldwork preparation
Optional pre-fieldwork activities can be accessed in the Google site link below.
Human-environment interactions I Study 3: Climate change - Urban heat
Fieldwork
On arrival students will engage in initial observations and predictions about urban heat to provide an inquiry for the day's fieldwork.
Students will be introduced to the fieldwork instruments used to monitor urban heat and the factors that contribute to the urban heat island effect. Instruments include thermometers, infrared thermometers, thermal heat cameras, anemometers, hygrometers, light meters. Ways of recording qualitative and quantitative data from observations will also be demonstrated.
Task 1 - Heating and cooling processes
Students will used specialised fieldwork tools to conduct scientific investigations into heating and cooling processes. Students will use this data to examine the relationship between atmospheric processes and the built environment, providing students with an evidence-based understanding of urban overheating.
Task 2 - Heat mitigation strategies
Students will use field photography to survey for heat mitigation strategies employed by local and state council.
Task 3 - Measuring urban heat
Students will measure abiotic and biotic factors in a number of sites of interest to create an urban heat spatial database of Meadowbank. Metadata can be used to identify factors that increase or reduce urban heat and thermal comfort, including mitigation strategies.
Task 4 - Urban heating survey
Students will conduct interviews to assess the impacts of and responses to urban heat on local residents.
Together, the results Tasks 3 and 4 can be used to indicate the success of the local council in meeting urban heat mitigation strategic targets.
Task 5 - Student-directed inquiry
Students will apply their learning from the day to co-construct their own investigation evaluating green spaces as a cool space, cool place.
