After record-breaking heat crises last summer, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) launched a new online heat forecaster on Monday to help people prepare for the summer.
The CDC and National Weather Service's HeatRisk Forecast Tool give Americans a week's warning of potential heatwaves. Users just have to enter their zip code to view the latest heat predictions and updates on the HeatRisk Dashboard online platform, according to HealthDay.
"Heat can affect our health, but heat-related illness and death are preventable," said CDC Director Dr. Mandy Cohen. "We are releasing new heat and health tools, as well as guidance, to help people take simple steps to stay safe in the heat."
Last summer, as climate change caused more frequent and prolonged hot and humid weather, heat-related emergency department visits increased, especially among outdoor workers.
Beat The Heat
The CDC warned that excessive heat, especially without air conditioning, can harm people, especially those with health issues.
Recently introduced, the HeatRisk tool uses health and temperature data to provide a seven-day heat forecast on a five-level scale to assess heat danger in specific US locations. By inputting their zip code, the HeatRisk Dashboard provides individualized heat forecasts and precautionary measures. The portal also delivers local air quality data from the EPA's AIR NOW Air Quality Index.
"Even though heat can impact anyone's physical and mental health, children with asthma, pregnant women and people with cardiovascular disease, among other groups, may be more sensitive," noted the US health agency.
According to the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, extreme heat events can also cause heat cramps, heat exhaustion, heatstroke, and hyperthermia by disturbing the body's capacity to regulate internal temperature.
A billboard displays a temperature of 118 degrees Fahrenheit (48 degrees Celcius) during a record heat wave in Phoenix, Arizona on July 18, 2023.
The agency warned that outdoor laborers, athletes, socially isolated people, those below the federal poverty line, and communities of color are also at risk.
NASA Using AI Tech to Address Climate Change
As extreme weather events rise, NASA is increasing its efforts to study and battle climate change. In addition to its studies, NASA is using artificial intelligence (AI) to enable external researchers.
TechTimes previously reported that NASA and IBM Research created an AI geospatial foundation model in 2023. This model, trained using NASA's Harmonized Landsat and Sentinel-2 (HLS) data, is essential for AI-driven environmental research initiatives. NASA makes this model accessible to all interested parties to encourage collaborative research and discovery.
This agreement produces foundation models that scientists use to design a variety of applications that efficiently address environmental challenges.
NASA's Office of the Chief Science Data Officer (OCSDO) data science head, Manil Maskey, compared these models to multipurpose Swiss Army knives. After fine-tuning, the geospatial foundation model can recognize fire scars, floodwater, and crop and land use categories, according to NASA.
NASA and IBM Research collaborated to improve model development by providing computing resources and AI algorithm optimization skills, in addition to data and expertise sharing.
After the geospatial foundation model's success, NASA and IBM Research are developing a weather and climate model. This project will use the Modern-Era Retrospective Analysis for Research and Applications, Version 2 (MERRA-2) dataset alongside ORNL, NVIDIA, and other institutions. This paradigm will encourage collaborative creation and discovery, like its predecessor, by making it publicly available.
