Sydney Installs Gauges to Combat Urban Heat

The city is installing 200 temperature gauges across the city to measure local heat island effects and in a separate initiative, opening a climate action hub

Two hundred bespoke temperature gauges are being strategically positioned across the city of Sydney to accurately measure local heat island effects and help prepare the community for hotter summers. The city has also opened what claims to be Australia’s largest hub dedicated to climate action that can accommodate more than 400 people working on climate innovation projects including renewable energy, the circular economy and biosphere.

‘Sydney One of the Most Liveable Cities’

The heat island effect study is being carried out with Western Sydney University and will focus on mapping air temperatures throughout the summer while investigating the thermal performance of assets like trees and parks. “We are in a climate emergency. This year is on track to be the hottest Australia has ever experienced. Our climate is trending warmer and the weather is becoming more extreme, so we must prepare and adapt,” said lord mayor of Sydney, Clover Moore.

“This important study will identify microclimates and help us understand where we can concentrate the most appropriate heat adaptation actions. It will also help us understand what is working already and inform the development of more cooling strategies to help our communities mitigate the worst impacts of rising temperatures. Sydney is one of the most liveable cities in the world but we need to prepare now for our future climate so we can all adapt and thrive.”

The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) has forecast Sydney to have a climate more like Grafton in northern NSW by 2050 and this is the first time a local government area in Sydney’s east has been mapped in this way.

Air temperature loggers used in the study are shielded from direct solar radiation inside reusable and passively ventilated white aluminium cans. They will be deployed mainly in trees and will record temperatures every 10 minutes providing more than three million data points throughout the study, which runs until March 2024. Air temperature will be measured by 150 loggers and 50 others will monitor air temperature and relative humidity which can accurately gauge the so-called “feels like” temperature. 

Project lead researcher Dr Sebastian Pfautsch from the Urban Transformations Research Centre at Western Sydney University has studied the impacts of summer heat for years in the west. “It is absolutely necessary to begin benchmarking the impacts of heat in the eastern part of our great city. Without a refined understanding of the urban microclimate, its hotspots and cool zones, workers and local populations are left defenceless when extreme heat strikes. The question is not if the city centre will ever see 45°C, but rather how well the city is prepared to care for its people when the mercury hits new records.” The loggers will be positioned in areas with varying levels of canopy cover, as well as near hard infrastructure like roads and buildings, to measure the varying temperatures.

The city of Sydney has set ambitious goals for the area to be net zero by 2035. It also aims to increase tree canopy cover to 27%, and green cover to 40% by 2050. The Greenhouse Climate Tech Hub is located in Salesforce Tower on George Street, Circular Quay, and aims to bring together innovators, investors, climate action groups, academics and corporates together to find solutions to the world’s most serious climate problems.

It is the result of a $31 million grant from the city of Sydney. Greenhouse can accommodate more than 400 people working on climate innovation projects including renewable energy, the circular economy and our biosphere. It reports that the 10-year investment will help progressive climate tech companies bring their big ideas to market, create jobs and expand into global markets.