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Mapping Heat Vulnerability Index Based on Different Urbanization Levels in Nebraska, USA
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  • Babak Jalalzadeh Fard,
  • Rezaul Mahmood,
  • Michael J. Hayes,
  • Clinton M. Rowe,
  • Azar Abadi,
  • Martha Shulski,
  • Sharon Medcalf,
  • Rachel Lookadoo,
  • Jesse Eugene Bell
Babak Jalalzadeh Fard
University of Nebraska Medical Center

Corresponding Author:[email protected]

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Rezaul Mahmood
School of Natural Resources, UNL
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Michael J. Hayes
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
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Clinton M. Rowe
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
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Azar Abadi
University of Nebraska Medical Center
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Martha Shulski
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
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Sharon Medcalf
University of Nebraska Medical Center
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Rachel Lookadoo
University of Nebraska Medical Center
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Jesse Eugene Bell
University of Nebraska Medical Center
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Abstract

Heatwaves cause excess mortality and physiological impacts on humans throughout the world, and climate change will intensify and increase the frequency of heat events. Many adaptation and mitigation studies use spatial distribution of highly vulnerable local populations to inform heat reduction and response plans. However, most available heat vulnerability studies focus on urban areas with high heat intensification by Urban Heat Islands (UHIs). Rural areas encompass different environmental and socioeconomic issues that require alternative analyses of vulnerability. We categorized Nebraska census tracts into four urbanization levels, then conducted factor analyses on each group and captured different patterns of socioeconomic vulnerabilities among resulted Heat Vulnerability Indices (HVIs). While disability is the major component of HVI in two urbanized classes, lower education and races other than white have higher contributions in HVI for the two rural classes. To account for environmental vulnerability of HVI, we considered different land type combinations for each urban class based on their percentage areas and their differences in heat intensifications. Our results demonstrate different combination of initial variables in heat vulnerability among urban classes of Nebraska and clustering of high and low heat vulnerable areas within the highest urbanized section. Less urbanized areas show no spatial clustering of HVI. More studies with separation on urbanization level of residence can give insights into different socioeconomic vulnerability patterns in rural and urban areas, while also identifying changes in environmental variables that better capture heat intensification in rural settings.
Oct 2021Published in GeoHealth volume 5 issue 10. 10.1029/2021GH000478