Large parts of north India have witnessed periods of extreme heatwave this year, it is being seen as an effect of rising global temperatures due to carbon emissions. The heatwave has caused deaths, altered crop yields and affected crop cycles.
NASA‘s Ecosystem Spaceborne Thermal Radiometer Experiment on Space Station instrument (ECOSTRESS) system has observed and documented the effects of urban heat islands in Delhi. The system captured high resolution images from space of the heatwave situation; the images cover an area of about 12,300 kmsq.
Cities trap heat a lot more than open fields or sparsely populated areas because of the concrete buildings, roads and other industrial establishments. The images show that certain parts of the city remain at 35 degrees celsius while the agricultural fields cool down to 15 degrees celsius in temp. This effect compounds, as the city doesn’t cool down at night and traps even more heat in during the sunshine making city dwellers experience far more heat than normal.
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Technology is a useful servant, but a dangerous master, it was rightly said. Electronic devices have grown into an inevitable part of our daily lives.
