Heat

Measuring Schoolyard Heat One Step at a Time

A team of researchers from University of California, Davis, spent the summer at elementary schools across the state measuring tree canopies and just how hot playgrounds, basketball courts, soccer fields and other outdoor spaces can get.

Tree canopies at California schools cover only about 4-6% of the average campus, meaning student breaks and outside activities are often under the glaring sun for the roughly 5.8 million K-12 public school students in California. 

Cabernet Can Survive Climate Change

Exposing wine grapes to sunlight was the key to making a good quality cabernet. But even the toughest grapes may not withstand the extreme heat that comes with climate change. Too much heat, like California has experienced with recent heat waves, can lead to jarringly jam-like wines that are high in alcohol and sugar and lacking in acidity.