Are you living in Amsterdam and suffering from the heat, or are you keeping cool? We'd like to hear how warm it is at your place and how you're experiencing that heat. It's very simple: take a picture of your thermostat and choose an emoji representing your feelings about the temperature. This way, you contribute to scientific research. You can participate until Sunday, September 10th.
By participating, you help us better understand heat in the city. This is important because, during a heatwave, temperatures in the city can rise significantly, sometimes up to 10 degrees higher than outside the city. Due to climate change, we can expect more frequent heatwaves. With our research, we want to know which areas in the city get the hottest and where you can find relief from the heat. Not only outdoors but also indoors.
As a resident of Amsterdam, you can lend us a hand. By clicking on this link, you can tell us how warm it is in your living room and how comfortable or challenging it is to deal with this temperature.
Living Lab for Urban Heat
Amsterdam is an important location for scientific research on urban heat. Wageningen University & Research (WUR) and the Amsterdam Institute of Metropolitan Solutions (AMS Institute) have been conducting research here for years. Data on outdoor temperatures has been collected for the past 10 years through a network of 24 weather stations. Now, the research has expanded to indoors. Temperature sensors have been installed in the living rooms and bedrooms of 100 Amsterdam homes. But to truly understand heat in the capital, all Amsterdam residents are now invited to participate.
This research is part of the I-change project. Across Europe, citizens are being asked to help gather data for research on the impact of climate change, such as heatwaves. I-change is an example of citizen science, where citizens actively participate in scientific research.