IAS Professors Santiago Lopez, Jin-Kyu Jung, and UW Bothell student, Haoye Zhang publish research in Urban Climate

IAS Professors Santiago Lopez and Jin-Kyu Jung, data visualization student Haoye Zhang, and Professor Bo Ae Chun from Kwandong Catholic University of Korea have published a research article in Urban Climate “Restored Wetlands as Urban Heat Mitigators: A UAS-Based Assessment of Land Use, Land Cover, and Surface Temperature in Bothell, Washington.”

The study evaluated whether restored wetlands in the Bothell area can mitigate heat using unmanned aerial systems, thermal imagery, and land use and land cover analysis. The authors found that wetland restoration significantly lowered land surface temperatures compared with surrounding built and impervious areas, especially during warmer daytime conditions. Vegetated and water-rich wetland zones produced localized cooling effects, while developed surfaces intensified heat retention. The research also demonstrated the value of unoccupied aircraft system (UAS) based mapping for identifying scale temperature variability across landscapes. Overall, the study found that restored wetlands are based solutions for reducing urban heat island impacts and improving climate change resilience.