Palo Duro Extreme Heat Study Summer 2021

WTAMU Press Release: https://www.wtamu.edu/news/2021/05/study-into-extreme-heat-at-palo-duro-canyon-being-conducted-by-wt-students.html Channel 10 and Channel 4 Feature Stories: https://www.newschannel10.com/2021/05/20/wt-students-conduct-research-into-extreme-heat-at-palo-duro-canyon/   https://www.myhighplains.com/news/local-news/wtamu-students-conducting-heat-study-of-palo-duro-canyon/

Sensors were deployed all across Palo Duro Canyon State Park for the study this summer by WTAMU student scientists. In late April and early May, WTAMU students trekked across the Canyon deploying the mobile sensors, which measure temperature and humidity. See the photos below for some action shots of the students in the field (first 2 photos are from Darcy Lively as well as the 2nd to last photo)

Over a dozen students from West Texas A&M University will be conducting the study from May – August 2021. The research project has been entitled: Summertime Canyon Observations and ResearCh on Heat ExtRemes (SCORCHER). Funding for the project comes from a collaborative grant between National Weather Service Amarillo and West Texas A&M University funded by the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR). WTAMU Undergraduate students will be conducting all aspect of the study from start to finish, including installing and operating the various weather sensors in the park, and collecting and analyzing the data, overseen by Assistant Professor Erik Crosman from West Texas A&M University and Stephen Bieda, Science and Operations Officer at the National Weather Service in Amarillo. The goals of the study are: · Map spatial and temporal variations in the extreme heat within the heavily used trail system of Palo Duro State Park to inform public health and safety during t