1st goddard edits

Author: serreaaron

stories/urban-effects.stories.mdx

@@ -35,7 +35,7 @@ taxonomy:
   <Prose>
     ## Introduction
 
-    Many urban areas across the United States have seen major population growth over the past several decades. As a result, cities have been required to build more residential, commercial, industrial, and network infrastructures to accommodate the growing population. The rapid expansion of artificial surfaces and structures associated with urbanization not only significantly alters the landscape, but also has profound effects on the local weather and Earth system. A primary example of these compounding influences exists in the Miami metropolitan area, which experienced the 4th largest growth of any metropolitan region in the US according to the U.S. Census Bureau between 2023-2024. This area is susceptible to being frequently affected by destructive events including hurricanes and flooding, and urbanization has the potential to exacerbate and heighten these threats. NASA Earth science datasets in combination with other observations can enable researchers to better understand how urban growth influences weather and climate,  insights that are increasingly important for city planning, public health, and disaster  resilience.
+    Many urban areas across the United States have seen major population growth over the past several decades. As a result, cities have been required to build more residential, commercial, industrial, and network infrastructures to accommodate the growing population. The rapid expansion of artificial surfaces and structures associated with urbanization not only significantly alters the landscape, but also has profound effects on local weather and the Earth system. A primary example of these compounding influences can be seen in the Miami metropolitan region (MMR), which experienced the fourth-largest growth of any metropolitan region in the country between 2023-2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. This area is susceptible to destructive events including hurricanes and flooding, and urbanization has the potential to exacerbate and heighten these threats. NASA Earth science datasets in combination with other observations can enable researchers to better understand how urban growth influences weather and climate – insights that are increasingly important for city planning, public health, and disaster resilience.
 
   </Prose>
 </Block>
@@ -60,9 +60,9 @@ taxonomy:
   <Prose>
     ## Background
 
-    As urban growth and development continue in cities like Miami , the properties of the land surface will change dramatically. Natural landscapes such as forests, grasslands, and wetlands are often replaced by buildings, roads, and other man-made materials. These artificial surfaces absorb and retain heat differently from natural ones, often leading to a phenomenon known as the Urban Heat Island (UHI) effect, where urban areas become significantly warmer than their rural surroundings.
+    In cities like Miami, urban growth and development change the land surface dramatically. Natural landscapes such as forests, grasslands, and wetlands are often replaced by buildings, roads, and other man-made materials. These artificial surfaces absorb and retain heat differently from natural ones, often leading to a phenomenon known as the Urban Heat Island (UHI) effect, where urban areas become significantly warmer than their rural surroundings.
 
-    In addition to temperature changes, buildings and paved surfaces can alter wind patterns, change how clouds form, and even affect when and where rain falls. This occurs as tall structures typically block or redirect airflow, while increased surface roughness, added heat, and reduced moisture transport can enhance or suppress local convection. Moreover, increased emissions from vehicles and industries introduce more aerosols and pollutants into the atmosphere, which may further affect cloud properties and precipitation.
+    In addition to temperature changes, buildings and paved surfaces can alter wind patterns, change how clouds form, and even affect when and where rain falls. Tall structures typically block or redirect airflow, while increased surface roughness, added heat, and reduced moisture transport can enhance or suppress local convection. Moreover, increased emissions from vehicles and industries introduce more aerosols and pollutants into the atmosphere, which may further affect cloud properties and precipitation.
 
   </Prose>
   <Figure>
@@ -87,9 +87,9 @@ taxonomy:
 
   <Prose>
 
-  Urban areas influence weather through both thermal and mechanical effects. Thermally, cities produce and retain more heat due to human activity and the prevalence of heat-absorbing materials like concrete and asphalt. This intensifies the UHI  effect, where urban centers are warmer than surrounding rural regions, especially at night. The added heat can lead to increased instability in the lower atmosphere, potentially enhancing convective cloud development and localized thunderstorms.
+  Urban areas also can influence weather through thermal and mechanical effects. Thermally, cities produce and retain more heat due to human activity and the prevalence of heat-absorbing materials like concrete and asphalt. This intensifies the UHI effect, where urban centers are warmer than surrounding rural regions, especially at night. The added heat can lead to increased instability in the lower atmosphere, potentially enhancing convective cloud development and localized thunderstorms.
 
-  Mechanically, the rougher surface of cities, due to high-rise buildings and dense infrastructure, disrupts the wind flow. This can reduce wind speeds at the surface, but it can also create turbulence and vertical mixing that alter the vertical structure of temperature and moisture in the boundary layer. The boundary layer is the lowest layer of the atmosphere, closest to the ground, meaning changes would affect the greater population. Additionally, the geometry of city blocks can create and change the wind patterns that affect cloud formation.
+  Mechanically, the rougher surface of cities, due to high-rise buildings and dense infrastructure, disrupts the wind flow. This can reduce wind speeds at the surface, but it can also create turbulence and vertical mixing that alter the vertical structure of temperature. Dense infrastructure can also alter moisture in the boundary layer, which is the layer of the atmosphere closest to the ground, meaning changes would affect the greater population. Additionally, the geometry of city blocks can create and change the wind patterns that affect cloud formation.
 
   Urban areas also tend to have higher concentrations of aerosols, which can influence cloud formation. Aerosols act as cloud condensation nuclei (CCN), allowing more but smaller cloud droplets to form. This can delay precipitation by preventing droplets from growing large enough to fall as rain, a process known as the aerosol indirect effect, leading to periods of potential drought within a region.
 
@@ -100,11 +100,7 @@ taxonomy:
   <Prose>
     ## Data Used 
 
-    To investigate the influence of urbanization on weather, scientists use a combination of satellite observations, ground-based measurements, and numerical models.
-
-    <li>NASA MERRA is a computer model dataset that incorporates meteorological and satellite observations to create the best estimates of atmospheric variables globally.  Sensors on GOES-16 satellite image Earth at various wavelengths from an Earth-stationary orbit. This imager is used to detect clouds at a 15-minute interval over the Continental United States. NASA MODIS (MODerate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) also detects clouds, only twice during the day and nighttime, respectively, but for a longer period of 25 years compared to GOES-16.  Landsat satellite observations have provided land cover classification since 1990 at 30m spatial resolution and thus can be used to monitor urban growth over long time periods.</li>
-    
-    Ultimately, these datasets and observations are necessary  to examine differences in cloud occurrence over urban regions and surrounding areas, and also long-term trends in cloud cover, surface heating and cooling, and rainfall. 
+    We used a combination of NASA satellite datasets and GOES-16 satellite observations to analyze the influence of urbanization on local weather in the MMR. Ultimately, these datasets and observations are necessary to examine differences in cloud occurrence over urban regions and surrounding areas and assess long-term trends in cloud cover, surface heating and cooling, and rainfall.
 
   </Prose>
 </Block>
@@ -120,7 +116,7 @@ taxonomy:
       compareDateTime="2025-06-23"
       />
     <Caption>
-      **Map 2:** Slider showing cumulus clouds, comparing August 4th, 2014 to June 15th, 2025
+      **Map 3:** Slider showing cumulus clouds, comparing August 4th, 2014 to June 15th, 2025
     </Caption>
   </Figure>
 </Block>
@@ -141,7 +137,9 @@ taxonomy:
   <Prose>
     ## Results over the MMR
 
-    Here, we present a preliminary investigation of changes in energy transfer to the atmosphere, clouds, and rainfall over the MMR, where there has been significant growth of urban land cover.
+    GOES-16 observations can depict how often clouds form over a given location and time. This satellite is stationary and provides frequent data about clouds and other parameters.  Animation 1 is a visualization of cloud frequency over the MMR for July 2024 and shows sea breezes as a dominant influence on cloud formation. Between 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., a higher frequency of cloudiness can be observed on the southeast coast of Florida as the sea breeze passes over the coastal urban zone, including the MMR. Growth of urban land cover through the expansion and construction of new infrastructure has the potential to modify sea breeze circulation, clouds, and rain. Expansion of urban areas can change how clouds and rainfall develop, which can influence urban weather, flooding, and local climate conditions.
+
+    Figure 1, however, shows a long-term decreasing trend in cloud coverage over the MMR from 1980-2025.
 
   </Prose>
 </Block>
@@ -174,22 +172,14 @@ taxonomy:
 
 </Block>
 
-<Block>
-  <Prose>
-    GOES-16 observations can depict  how often clouds form over a given location and time. An animation (animation 1) of cloud frequency over the MMR for July 2024 shows sea breezes as a dominant influence  on cloud formation. Between 10 AM and 4 PM, a higher frequency of cloudiness can be observed on the southeast coast of Florida as the sea breeze passes over the coastal urban zone, including the MMR.  Growth of urban land cover has the potential to modify seabreeze circulation, clouds and rain.
-
-    Figure 1 however, shows a long-term decreasing trend in cloud coverage over the MMR from 1980-2025.
-
-  </Prose>
-</Block>
 
 <Block>
   <Figure>
       <Image
       src={new URL('./MiamiSB.gif', import.meta.url).href}
       />
     <Caption>
-      **Visual 2:** HRRR Example of the sea breeze, including the boundary
+      **Figure 2:** HRRR Example of the sea breeze, including the boundary
     </Caption>
   </Figure>
 </Block>
@@ -233,9 +223,9 @@ taxonomy:
 <Block>
   <Prose>
 
-    We examined the long-term trend of surface-to-atmosphere exchange of heat and moisture over the coastal urban zone using NASA North America Land Data Assimilation System (NLDAS). The time series of energy fluxes show an increase in heat and a reduction in moisture transferred to the atmosphere.
+    We examined the long-term trend of surface-to-atmosphere exchange of heat and moisture over the coastal urban zone using NASA’s North America Land Data Assimilation System (NLDAS). The time series of energy fluxes show an increase in heat and a reduction in moisture transferred to the atmosphere.
 
-    Additionally, we monitored  rainfall and cloud cover trends  over the MMR using MERRA-2. It can be seen in Figure 4 that cloudiness is decreasing while rainfall is increasing.
+    Additionally, we monitored rainfall and cloud cover trends over the MMR using MERRA-2. It can be seen in Figure 4 that cloudiness is decreasing while rainfall is increasing.
 
   </Prose>
 
@@ -259,7 +249,7 @@ taxonomy:
 
   <Prose>
 
-    Together, this suggests there has been a change in heat and moisture exchanged between the surface and the atmosphere in the MMR. These changes are accompanied by a decrease in cloud cover cloudiness and an increase in rainfall. 
+    Together, this suggests there has been a change in heat and moisture exchanged between the surface and the atmosphere in the MMR. These changes are accompanied by a decrease in cloud cover over the urban core, where surfaces heat more quickly. An increase in rainfall downwind may also occur. However, further research is needed to determine this. 
 
   </Prose>
 
@@ -269,11 +259,9 @@ taxonomy:
   <Prose>
     ## Conclusion
 
-    Understanding how urbanization affects weather patterns, especially cloud formation and rainfall, is essential for several reasons. In cities like Miami, which are prone to heavy rainfall events and tropical systems , urban-induced changes to the atmosphere can amplify existing hazards. For instance, enhanced cloud formation can cause an increased possibility of precipitation, increasing the threat for localized thunderstorms and urban flash flooding. Changes to wind and moisture transport near the surface can also shift where rain forms and falls, potentially impacting water resources and stormwater infrastructure planning. The altered vertical mixing in the boundary layer can trap pollutants and limit dispersion, degrading air quality and threatening public health.
-
-    Urban areas like Miami do more than just alter the landscape, they reshape the local atmosphere in complex ways. Increased heat retention, surface roughness, and pollution all contribute to modified circulation patterns, cloud development, and precipitation behavior over and around urban centers. This study finds that an increase in heat and a reduction in moisture exchanged to the atmosphere have accompanied urban growth in the MMR.  Reduction in cloudiness and increase in rainfall could be the result of increased urbanization. In some studies, enhanced rainfall downwind of the city has been linked to increased surface roughness from buildings and surface heating. However, this needs to be confirmed with additional studies.
+    Understanding how urbanization affects weather patterns, especially cloud formation and rainfall, is essential for several reasons. In cities like Miami, which are prone to heavy rainfall events and tropical systems, urban-induced changes to the atmosphere can amplify existing hazards. For instance, enhanced cloud formation can cause an increased possibility of precipitation, increasing the threat for localized thunderstorms and urban flash flooding. Changes to wind and moisture transport near the surface can also shift where rain forms and falls, potentially impacting water resources and stormwater infrastructure planning. Urban areas like Miami do more than just alter the landscape, they reshape the local atmosphere in complex ways. Urbanization changes the roughness from buildings and terrain, affecting wind patterns which in turn changes in winds, rainfall, cloud formation.
 
-    By using NASA Earth science data, city planners, emergency managers, and educators can access and explore high-resolution satellite data and model outputs. These tools allow stakeholders to visualize where clouds form most frequently, how surface heating varies across the urban landscape, and where wind convergence may enhance rainfall or limit it altogether . As cities grow, these insights are crucial  when  designing climate-resilient infrastructure and managing environmental risks. 
+    By using NASA Earth science data, city planners, emergency managers, and educators can access and explore high-resolution satellite data and model outputs. These tools allow stakeholders to visualize where clouds form most frequently, how surface heating varies across the urban landscape, and where wind convergence may enhance rainfall or limit it altogether. As cities grow, these insights are crucial when designing climate-resilient infrastructure and managing environmental risks. 
 
   </Prose>
 </Block>