By: Mike Anello, Jagger Kebea, and Christian Tyson

Introduction

Surface heat levels affect not only the environment, but also the communities subjected to the temperature. When temperatures reach to dangerous numbers, Borough of Madison Department of Recreation Policies sets up preventative measures to protect the public from risks of heat stroke. Among these preventative measures, The Parks and Advisory Committee also sets guidelines to ensure the safety of the residents, including closing parks and open areas.

Data

This data shows the areas in New Jersey that are subject to higher surface temperatures. This data will help New Jersey residents to determine how hot their area is during the summer months. This data also shows the correlation of the heat temperatures, in relation to the annual average daily traffic. The map displayed here presents the urban heat islands and land surface temperatures in Madison, NJ, generated by the NJ Dept. of Environmental Protection Bureau of GIS

Results

In Madison, New Jersey, the average temperature during the summer months is between 81 F and 86 F. However the surface temperature generally tends to be hotter as shown with the more popular commuting routes having a temperature that reaches up to 127 F. This is shown in the map as the range of temperatures is from 48 F to 162 F, indicated from blue (cold) and gradually reaches red (hot). 

It is evident that surface temperatures are greater in areas with less cover, like popular road ways and fields, and areas with more tree cover tend to be cooler.

In the summer, the hottest times are from 12pm to 8pm, which is when people should be most cautious about being outdoors and around hot zones.

Conclusion

Understanding the surface temperature can help us to better understand the on going changes in our environment, along with developments of climate change. Additionally, the correlation may not be exact, but there seems to be a trend with popular traffic routes and greater surface heat, possibly attributed to less cover in the area and the surface types being greater heat conductors. As a result, Madison has set up cooling stations to protect its residents in times of high temperatures. This is to ensure all citizens are able to receive air conditioning and there is fairness among the diverse population.

About the Data

Urban Heat Islands and Land Surface Temperatures in New Jersey are a product of the NJ Dept. of Environmental Protection Bureau of GIS (NJDEPBGIS) database. This database tracks the surface temperature all across New Jersey  along with many other metrics and can be found here. Much of the data is from Division of Information Technology (DOIT), Bureau of Geographic Information Systems (BGIS). This layer was updated on May 5th, 2023.

New Jersey Annual Average Daily Traffic (NJAADT) are a product of NJDOTGIS database and can be found here. The NJDOTGIS is useful for tracking popular roadways in New Jersey and helpful to see traffic patterns. This layer was updated on March 23, 2023

To download a one-paged slide for this summary on surface heat temperatures, click here.