Southwest CASC-supported researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles looked at the cooling effect of the urban vegetation during drought and non-drought periods using remotely sensed land surface temperature (LST) data and shared their findings in an article in the journal Sustainable Cities and Society. Vegetation in urban areas plays an important role in regulating temperatures during heat waves which are expected to become more frequent with climate change. Low-income neighborhoods that are more cost sensitive to changing water prices have less greenness and therefore experience fewer of the cooling benefits that come with vegetative cover. 

Furthermore, low-income areas with higher proportions of Hispanic and Black residents were characterized by vegetation that is more sensitive to drought, which likely relates to inequality in water use. Low-income neighborhoods may be unable to afford the additional costs of irrigating plants and are more likely to face high soil impermeability, less vegetation, and lower greenness.

These findings can inform water resource management, strengthen climate change mitigation and adaptation in cities, and further environmental justice efforts.