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As Penrith claimed the title of the hottest place on earth in January 2020 (according to sbs.com.au and World Weather Today), Western Sydney University researchers have found communities in Western Sydney experience extreme heat (over 38°C) more frequently than previously known.
Heatwaves are predicted to become more frequent, more severe in intensity, and longer lasting, posing threats including increased risk of people experiencing dangerous levels of heat stress.
"In particular, retaining and adding to green and blue (water) space in new developments should be a priority for planners and developers in Western Sydney. Any large open space with trees, like a playground, public park, remnant woodland or lake should be cherished as a Cool Zone."
Three studies led by Dr Sebastian Pfautsch, Senior Research Theme Fellow (Environment and Sustainability) at the University’s School of Social Sciences took air temperature measurements every ten minutes at several hundred locations across the local government areas (LGA). The measurements were calibrated against temperatures reported by the closest official weather stations.
Temperatures differed by up to 6°C between locations, and by more than 10°C on days of extreme heat. For example, during a heatwave at the end of 2018, peak air temperature was 32°C in Sydney Olympic Park, while it was 45°C in Toongabbie.
These significant variations among suburbs – and even within streets of the same suburb – across the three LGAs demonstrate how important it is to assess and combat extreme heat at a local level.
“The microclimate maps will help councils identify patterns of heat unique to their regions – knowledge that was previously unavailable. They will assist emergency services during heatwaves, contribute to community education, and inform future cooling strategies and development practices,” said Dr Pfautsch.
During the summer of 2019/20, a fourth heat mapping study, led by Western Sydney University for Penrith City Council, captured the hottest ever-measured air temperatures in the Greater Western Sydney region.
Analyses of more than 1.6 million individual measurements revealed that daily maximum air temperatures of or above 50°C had been measured at six locations during three different days. An incomprehensible 52 degrees was measured on 4 January 2020 at a location a few kilometres north-east of Penrith CBD. At the same time, temperatures were more than 8 degrees cooler at the Nepean River, just two kilometres to the west.
The researchers also documented the effects of street and park trees on local microclimates, identifying species that were more or less useful to generate cooling. According to the findings, the most effective way to further reduce local heat is to provide small trees with optimal growth conditions so they can develop a larger crown quickly that can provide additional cooling.
Dr Pfautsch said that the minimising the area covered by hard, impervious surfaces, and integrating green infrastructure with building development, including trees providing shade and evaporative cooling, is vital to maintain a liveable climate in a hot place like Western Sydney as it grows.
“Without trees, summer heat becomes unbearable. In new housing estates where you have small blocks almost completely covered by houses with black roofs, it means there is simply no space to grow a meaningful canopy,” he explained.
“We therefore need to urgently rethink how we plan, build and live, to make more room for greencover and start using smarter solutions like cool roof technology in the homes and business we build now,” added Dr Pfautsch.
“As climate change leads to more heat events and as development accelerates in Western Sydney, we need to consider how much green infrastructure we can really afford to lose before we severely impact on liveability,” said Dr Pfautsch.
“Unless we execute this with considerations for urban heat at the very forefront of our planning, 50-degree-plus summers will unfortunately become Western Sydney’s reality,” he said.
Following on from this project, Dr Pfautsch is leading Western’s new partnership with Greening Australia to identify schools across Western Sydney that are vulnerable to heat stress. Schools will receive much-needed green space through the targeted planting, as part of a $5 million investment by the NSW Government to plant thousands of new trees across Sydney.
The generosity of people like you can help support future research like Dr Pfautsch’s, positively impacting our lives and the community we live in.
