Rooftop rainwater sprinkler systems could help cool warming cities, study says
It’s a hot summer day in the city. The sun beats down relentlessly on asphalt and concrete, while tall buildings mercilessly snuff out any hope of a cooling breeze, intensifying urban heat island impacts. Urbanites around the world know the feeling well. And with an increasing number of potentially deadly heat wave days due to […]
A study suggests that rooftop rainwater sprinkler systems could help cool warming cities, providing relief during increasingly frequent heat waves due to climate change. Developed by researchers at the University of Manchester in the U.K., the system utilizes machine learning and artificial intelligence to create a model that can bring down temperatures in buildings and outdoors.
The proposed solution includes a rooftop rainwater collection tank and a sprinkler system that automatically activates when outdoor temperatures reach a certain threshold. As the water evaporates, it cools the roof, thereby reducing both indoor and outdoor temperatures. To demonstrate the potential effectiveness of this approach, the researchers chose Tokyo as a case study due to Japan's climate and the city's experience with rainwater collection.
The model predicted that widespread adoption of this system in urban settings could effectively lower high surface and air temperatures.
Written by urgent.news from Mongabay's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
