ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE IN THE WATERSHED: NOAA B-WET IN PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS, MD

High school environmental science students in Prince George's County Public Schools are engaged in a year-long data collection project to monitor and build understanding of the importance of water and climate on the quality of life in their communities. Through the NOAA B-WET program they monitor the impact of trees on the movement of energy and water through the watershed and the subsequent changes in microclimate that arise from water-vegetation interactions. Trees are the focus of this district-wide project because (1) they are ubiquitous, (2) they profoundly impact water movement and water quality, ambient temperature, habitat, and air quality, and (3) student understanding of the role of trees in the environment encourages meaningful community actions that have a significant effect on building resilience to climate change and reducing social inequity.

At each high school students record the humidity and temperature of the atmosphere, land surface temperatures, and subsurface soil temperatures at paired study sites on their school grounds in order to create a district-wide climate baseline. At their school students have selected a pair of sample sites, one open, one shaded, that they monitor throughout the year. In the 2022-23 school year students made ca. 3500 observations as part of their coursework. Data are uploaded to a central project database where all participants have access to the observations from each site. This allows students to analyze data at their own site, where they can see the temperature control exerted by trees on near-surface temperatures and watch the parameters change seasonally. Students who choose to access the county-wide data can begin to explore variation as a function of geographic and demographic position across the county. The first year of data show provocative relationships, for example, between surface temperature and family income in different census tracts. Student data collection is embedded in the context of climate action plans for both the county and the school system. The county CAP calls for mapping urban heat islands and indexing these locations with equity data to ensure protection of the most vulnerable populations from climate change impacts. Armed with very simple tools PGCPS students are prepared to contribute to climate justice actions in their communities.