Commentary: Mapping and mitigating urban extreme heat using NASA’s high-resolution thermal infrared data

Urban areas worldwide confront escalating threats from extreme heat, a climate impact poised to become the most lethal and economically devastating of our time. Rising global temperatures are leading to urban heatwaves becoming longer, more frequent, and more severe, resulting in an increase in extreme heat exposure, especially among vulnerable population groups. A valuable and popular tool for studying fine-scale urban temperatures is with thermal infrared (TIR) remote sensing data. With TIR data we can quantify the magnitude of the surface urban heat island (SUHI) effect across all permutations of urban temperature gradients and complexity. In this study we explore the use of a combination of spaceborne ECOSTRESS and airborne HyTES TIR data to better understand the urban heat environment and societal applications. We will demonstrate the use of these data for investigating diurnal patterns in urban heat exposure; pinpointing hotspots; quantifying the effects of heat mitigation interventions; and better understanding links between geopolitical segregation and urban heat disparities in the Los Angeles area.