Uploaded on 2017-03-28 by Victoria Gutkovich

1. I followed the link to the Climate Central website and checked the temperature differences that have been recorded in US cities and their surrounding rural areas due to UHI effect. I myself used to live in Washington DC for several months, so this data was personally interesting for me too. So the maximum difference in Las Vegas equals to about 4 degrees Celcius, while in DC - 2.2 C. It's fascinating! 2. Yes, I can provide some data and information for my own place of residence, which is currently Moscow. I studied the 'temperature diaries' available online depicting daily temperatures in Moscow and its suburban Odintsovo region where I lived before (my pictures of both places are attached) for March 2017. I was excited to find out that usually the temperature in Moscow is 1-2 or sometimes 3 degrees C higher than in Odintsovo, although the opposite scenario is also (rarely) possible. Another UHI effect that I can identify in my area is the subjective feeling that it is really warmer in the central part of Moscow than on the outskirts or in Odintsovo, where it usually feels significantly colder. If we look at the pictures we can easily recognize the difference in urban design: 25-storey buildings in Moscow put close together and rural detached housing in Odintsovo, which of course may contribute to the UHI effect. 3. If I could take part in the decision-making process of an initiative related to the UHI effect, the measures that I would propose in order to reduce it and provide a more livable environment to the citizens are the following: 1) stop dense multi-storey housing construction in Moscow; 2) find and provide more urban space for parks and other types of green recreational areas in the city; 3) develop an affordable program for citizens to buy a piece of land or a house in the rural areas outside Moscow so that the majority of urban population could escape from heat to their countryside homes. But all these concern is acute for Moscow region only in the hottest months of summer - June, July and August. 4. Unfortunately, I know very little of policies in my community that are planned to reduce the UHI effect. The reason may be that the climate in Moscow is humid continental with relatively short sometimes hot summers but long and cold winters. Therefore, like in Saint-Petersburg, most time of the year citizens only benefit from the UHI effect, enjoying warmth in the urban core. And when the temperature is high in Moscow, it will also be very hot in the countryside. People deal with heat by turning on their private conditioning systems and by going to their "dachas" during heat waves. The only example that my mind comes up with is the spread of air-conditioning systems in public transport - buses, trains etc. This is very useful during summertime if you travel using public transit in Moscow as well as in the suburbs.