[Waymninelia]

Just curious, once you've found a viable solution, what do you intend to do?

"Profit" immediately springs to mind.

[freddystone]

Just curious, once you've found a viable solution, what do you intend to do?

If not mowing the grass in the medians/side of freeways once a week could help lower the temperature 2 degrees, and allow all those workers to do something more useful than mowing medians for their pay, I will push for it.

[AngegepeM]

cover it with tinfoil to reflect the suns light

[Leczyslaw]

Transvapourisation (IIRC) will be greatly increased, meaning they'd need to be supplied water to stop the grass plats dying.
In principle, though, I would expect there to be a slight reduction in temperature, but not that much, and humidity will increase.
If you have a look, there may be some studies into it.

[Eugen80]

There is a vast difference between concrete and asphault.

[freddystone]

There is a vast difference between concrete and asphault.

Not when it comes to absorbing heat from the sun. In that, they are both quite similar.

[HBPujWBe]

The legacy of Robert Moses and urban sprawl might have something to do with hotter summers. Size of grass in medians? Not so much.

[freddystone]

The legacy of Robert Moses and urban sprawl might have something to do with hotter summers. Size of grass in medians? Not so much.

I think you underestimate just how many medians/sides of freeway's Dallas/Ft Worth has. All together it adds up to 10's of square miles. If even 2 degrees were achieved it would make a significant difference. Now, maybe 10's of square miles of 4 ft tall grass isn't sufficient for 2 degrees. But grass cools much faster than concrete so I would certainly be interested in any studies.

All I know is, we should have had severe rain showers last night. Instead, we got light rain/drizzle... because as the storms approached that rising heat encircling the area dried them all up.

[freddystone]

Against the heat I mean. Living in Texas, heat is a part of Summer. It is not global warming that has tempted us with breaking consecutive 100 degree day streak, but the additional 30 years of asphalting what used to be prairies, forests and plains 20 miles further away from Dallas.

My question is, would not mowing the medians/sides of freeways and allowing that grass to grow out to the 4 feet it naturally would instead of the 1 inch it is shaved to make any difference? Basically, all there is to counter the concrete's ability to hold heat is short grass and sparse trees. At night, it should get down to 75-78, but the heat in the concrete keeps temps well into the 90's past midnight with a low reaching 83-86. It isn't really all that hard to get to 100 when all you need is 14 degrees. It has been hot this summer, but no hotter than usual, and lower highs (108-110) than the 115 typically seen a few days each summer.

What I am saying is that the heat in Dallas is man made, just not global warming. Any way to counter all the heat trapped in the concrete?

[Enjoymms]

Yes, plant trees
I lived in Dallas for a few months so let me help you

these are trees



tree



not a tree



tree

[mpxricyNimb]

Just curious, once you've found a viable solution, what do you intend to do?

[minowz]

Concrete combat? I know the weapons you need to get the job done.