Released 24/11/2018
Volunteer citizen scientists are sought for a national study on microclimates taking place in February next year, Minister for Climate Change and Sustainability Shane Rattenbury said today.
“We know climate change is causing hotter, drier summers for Canberra and we know from work done earlier this year by the CSIRO that different town centres in Canberra have different temperatures depending on factors such as tree coverage, level of irrigation and number of roads and carparks,” Minister Rattenbury said.
“We would love to see around 100 volunteers come together to help track the changing climate in our local centres. Together, we can make a real difference when it comes to understanding how the climate is changing, and what factors contribute to the urban heat island effect.
“By participating in this exciting new project, volunteers will gain hands-on experience in measuring wind, temperature and humidity in different locations across the town centres of Tuggeranong, Woden and Gungahlin. The results will contribute to establishing baseline microclimate data for these town centres.
“These Centres have been chosen due to their contrasting environments. Tuggeranong town centre, for instance, has a cooler microclimate than Gungahlin Town Centre due to its irrigated town park, lake and grassy woodland.”
The project is being undertaken by RMIT University with funding support from the Australian Government and in-kind assistance from 22 local councils across Australia, including the ACT Government.
The citizen scientists need to be available for 2 hours from 1 pm until 3pm on Friday 8th or Saturday 9th or Sunday 10th February 2019.
For more information including registration, visit Citizen Science Project website.
- Statement ends -
Shane Rattenbury, MLA | Media Releases
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