Research

Faculty in the UCRC explore all aspects of the urban climate system, ranging from street-level thermal environments, to boundary-layer processes, air pollution chemistry, and urban effects on precipitation events.

The UCRC is particularly interested in linking scientific understanding of the urban climate system with strategies to mitigate the adverse consequences of urban development. Toward this end, we link geographical scientists with planners, engineers and designers to develop and evaluate technologies and strategies for sustainable urban designs.

Faculty in the UCRC investigate the impacts of urban environmental health stressors, such as flooding, extreme heat, and poor air quality, to enhance the well-being of urban dwellers, decrease the risk to these pressures, and advance equitable climate and environmental outcomes.

Faculty in the UCRC conduct simulations based on fundamental physical principles to quantify past and project potential future environmental change, including effects on temperature, precipitation, and related endpoint concerns.

Faculty in the UCRC measure indoor and outdoor environments, using weather stations, mobile-based platforms, eddy covariance towers, and air pollution instrumentation, to improve understanding of natural processes, ascertain current conditions, aid with model accuracy assessment, provide evidence to support environmental management, policy development, and climate adaptation strategies.