The winter heat island of a mid-sized city: Jackson, MI

There is an ever-increasing interest in discovering the effects human beings have on the environment. Although larger cities represent the heaviest impacts, and thus account for the widest range of studies, cities of all sizes show climatic alterations due to anthropogenic heat. The present study is an inquiry into the winter thermal alterations in Jackson, MI, a mid-sized city (pop. 36,316 in 2001) with the intent to identify its potential urban heat island. The method utilized is that of the rural-urban transects, taking temperature measurements with a thermohygrometer during the first hours after sunset. As the anthropic effects on the urban climate become progressively better understood, more effective measures can be taken to reduce their negative side effects.