Islands – Listorati https://listorati.com Fascinating facts and lists, bizarre, wonderful, and fun Thu, 04 Jul 2024 13:19:34 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.7.1 https://listorati.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/listorati-512x512-1.png Islands – Listorati https://listorati.com 32 32 215494684 Top 10 Islands With Fascinating Stories And Artifacts https://listorati.com/top-10-islands-with-fascinating-stories-and-artifacts/ https://listorati.com/top-10-islands-with-fascinating-stories-and-artifacts/#respond Thu, 04 Jul 2024 13:19:34 +0000 https://listorati.com/top-10-islands-with-fascinating-stories-and-artifacts/

Islands remain a mainstay for vacationers and romance novelists. Beyond stress relief and imaginary heroes, islands are complex worlds. There are mysterious places that challenge experts with artificial islands and unknown rituals.

Islands are also mass graves and the ocean’s trash bins—to a horrifying degree. Then there are the hills where sheep carry cameras for Google, an island with ancient Bitcoin, and one of the most visited places on Earth that does not exist.

10 Rabbit Island

In the past, Okunoshima was rabbit hell. The island was used by the Japanese to test poisonous gases during World War II. The laboratory rabbits were gassed with substances that went on to kill up to 80,000 Chinese during the 1930s and ’40s.

Today, the scene looks different. Rabbits hop everywhere on Okunoshima. People adore them. Tourists spoil the bunnies with food and photo sessions. Predators such as dogs, cats, and hunters are banned from the island.

Mysteriously, nobody knows where the rabbits came from. The original test rabbits were euthanized by US personnel when they took the island during the occupation.

There is a rumor that schoolchildren released eight bunnies in 1971. Eight was enough. Without predators, the prolific creatures’ population grew. These days, hundreds of feral rabbits crowd around people for snacks.

As idyllic as it seems, things are not perfect. Living on treats has shortened the rabbits’ life span to two years. Their numbers have also destroyed the ecosystem. With no natural food left, they depend on visitors to feed them.[1]

9 Anglesey’s Monuments

Anglesey is a British island famously linked to the Druids. The latter were an order of priests with magical powers who supposedly existed around 2,000 years ago. There is no evidence that the Druids were real, but Anglesey’s Neolithic and Bronze Age buildings are tangible and older to boot.

The star is a Neolithic monument known as Bryn Celli Ddu. Excavated between 1928 and 1929, the 5,000-year-old tomb’s entrance tunnel aligns with the midsummer Sun at dawn.[2]

In 2019, archaeologists started excavations on a burial mound located 46 meters (150 ft) away. The hope was to find out more about the builders. Interestingly, the mound was added to the landscape 1,000 years after Bryn Celli Ddu.

Other finds included a circle of pits, artifacts, and structures placed around the passage tomb. Although personal information on the builders was lacking, it became clear that successive generations returned for thousands of years to add to the complex.

8 The Cat-Fox

An unusual animal lives in the forests of Corsica, a French island. Locals call it a cat-fox. The felines are bigger than the average house cat, and their tails have two to four rings. The critters have doglike teeth, unusually short whiskers, and broad ears.

In 2012, wildlife rangers received their first chance to do DNA tests. Researchers coated a stick with a scent the cats would hopefully find attractive and left it in the wilderness. When the team collected the staff, it had been so affectionately rubbed by cat-foxes that they left their fur behind.

The hair confirmed suspicions that the animals were an undocumented species and not feral domestic cats. Indeed, their DNA matched no other species on the planet. However, it was similar to the African forest cat (Felis silvestris lybica).

A plausible theory suggests that farmers brought the cats to Corsica around 6500 BC. If the theory is proven, the cat-fox could be viewed as an ancient feline species that survived for thousands of years but only recently came to the world’s attention.[3]

7 Neolithic Artificial Islands

Scotland’s Outer Hebrides are dotted with over 600 artificial islets called crannogs. For some reason, people felt the need to drag stones to the middle of lakes and waterways and make their own islands. Most are Iron Age relics, but a few were recently dated to an earlier Neolithic Britain (4000-2500 BC).

This is a hazy time period. Although people built intriguing monuments like Stonehenge, they left no written records. Neolithic crannogs proved that the artificial structures were 3,000 years older than previously thought. This surprising leap back in time did not come from the islets but from a mysterious ritual.

In 2012, a diver found Neolithic pottery around the Outer Hebrides’ crannogs. Thanks to the vessels, archaeologists eventually identified five islands from this time.[4]

Demonstrating a behavior unknown to British archaeology, people went to the crannogs to throw their best vessels into the water. The crannogs likely had ritualistic significance, but the details are lost to time.

6 World’s Most Plastic-Polluted Place

Henderson Island in the South Pacific is uninhabited. There are no people or factories discarding plastic trash everywhere. Despite this, when researchers went to the island in 2017, they were shocked by the pollution.

The sheer volume was enough to traumatize any conservationist. The team counted up to 671 pieces of plastic per square meter. This was the highest number ever recorded anywhere in the world. Overall, Henderson creaked under an estimated total weight of over 17 tons. This amount balloons daily. On just one of the island’s several beaches, over 3,500 new plastic pieces wash ashore every day.

There is a reason why trash makes a beeline for this remote island. Henderson lies inside the swirling currents known as the South Pacific Gyre. Debris collected elsewhere rides the currents until they connect with the island. Indeed, the researchers found plastic manufactured in 24 countries.[5]

5 Google Sheep View

Google Street View has visited nearly every place on Earth. This did not sit well with the residents of Denmark’s Faroe Islands. For years, they waited for their beautiful islands to be added to the 360-degree viewing service. Finally, the islanders’ patience ran out.

The Faroe Islands are small, but they have a dedicated tourism bureau. Staff member Durita Dahl Andreassen came up with a novel idea. She got her hands on 360-degree cameras and, with a shepherd’s blessing, attached the devices to local sheep.

The creatures meandered all over the 18 islands and recorded the landscapes. The footage from the project, called “Sheep View 360,” was uploaded to the official Street View service. The islands are known for their sheep, which outnumber the human population, but this was surely the strangest camera crew that ever contributed to Google Street View.[6]

4 The Rai Stones

There are curious artifacts on the Pacific Island of Yap. A rai stone is a limestone disk with a hole in the center. Some are bigger than a person. That’s a cumbersome thought, considering that the wheels were used as currency. They were exchanged as wedding gifts, used for political reasons, paid as ransoms, and kept as inheritances.

Due to their size and fragility, a new owner could not always move the stone closer to home. For this reason, the community had an oral system so that everyone knew the names of stone owners and the details of any trades.[7]

Although the rai stones date back hundreds of years before European contact, this oral tradition is similar to the blockchain of modern cryptocurrencies. The blockchain is an open ledger of cryptocurrency ownership that provides the same transparency that the Yapese islanders used to maintain community control over information and security.

Although rai stones and cryptocurrencies could not be more different, archaeologists were surprised by how the ancient “oral ledger” and today’s blockchain performed the same duty for their respective currencies.

3 Hart Island’s Body Problem

New York City’s Island of the Dead came by its name honestly. Its real name is Hart Island. Since 1868, it has served as the city’s cemetery for the less fortunate.

When nobody claims a body or the family cannot afford a funeral, the deceased is taken to the 101-acre island for burial. Around one million bodies line mass graves, with pine coffins stacked on top of each other. The body count grows by roughly 1,000 every year.

In 2018, things began to spill over. Erosion revealed so many skeletons along the shoreline that police called it “bones beach.” Forensic anthropologists collected or marked most of the exposed bones with flags, but the problem is far from solved.[8]

Powerful weather such as floodwaters and storms continue to tear at the island’s older burial grounds. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) took the spillage so seriously that it gave $13 million toward a project to stabilize the island’s shorelines.

2 Canada’s Record-Holding Islands

Here is a weird geography fact. There are things called an island-in-a-lake-on-an-island-in-a-lake-on-an-island. For years, the biggest one was an island in a lake on Volcano Island. The latter itself stood in Lake Taal on the island of Luzon in the Philippines.

In 2012, fans of the strange phenomenon took to Google Earth to find out if there was an even bigger stack of islands and lakes out there. After an exhaustive search, they found a new winner in Canada. At the center was a strip of land so small and nameless that no human had probably ever been there.

The minuscule island is inside a lake surrounded by an island. This island hunkers within a long lake around 120 kilometers (75 mi) from Victoria Island’s coast. It is perhaps fitting that the title for the world’s largest island-in-a-lake-on-an-island-in-a-lake-on-an-island should go to Canada. The country already hosts similar island-related records. It holds both the world’s biggest island-in-a-lake and lake-on-an-island.[9]

1 Null Island

When users search for a coffee shop or tourist attraction, Google Maps uses a geographic information system (GIS) to plot coordinates on a map. GIS is responsible for that icon marking the exact location of a destination.

This system has a ghost in the machine. Glitches can cause GIS systems to revert to 0°N 0°E on the map. This happens so often that geographers have named the spot Null Island. Thanks to technological errors, it is one of the most “visited” places in the world.

When a GIS system reverts to those coordinates, it brings along the location the user searched for. As a result, the imaginary Null island is packed with street addresses and attractions.

To the fans of Null Island, it does not matter that none of these things is really there. They designed a national flag and a detailed history for the island. The coordinates 0°N 0°E are a real place in the South Atlantic Ocean. However, instead of an island, the spot holds a buoy used by NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) to gather climate data.[10]

Jana Louise Smit

Jana earns her beans as a freelance writer and author. She wrote one book on a dare and hundreds of articles. Jana loves hunting down bizarre facts of science, nature and the human mind.


Read More:


Facebook Smashwords HubPages

]]>
https://listorati.com/top-10-islands-with-fascinating-stories-and-artifacts/feed/ 0 13442
Top 10 Truly Spectacular Islands For Post-Covid Travel https://listorati.com/top-10-truly-spectacular-islands-for-post-covid-travel/ https://listorati.com/top-10-truly-spectacular-islands-for-post-covid-travel/#respond Thu, 15 Jun 2023 11:32:35 +0000 https://listorati.com/top-10-truly-spectacular-islands-for-post-covid-travel/

When thinking of retirement, or of where you would want to live for the rest of your life, some sort of tropical island most likely comes across your mind. But it’s most likely nothing specific, something that you can only dream of. Instead of leaving it up to your imagination, why don’t you take a look at some of these spectacular lands so you can have a tangible goal for yourself. Taking you all across the world, you will get to see these amazing places for yourself. With that being said, get comfy and get ready to see what your future just may hold (presuming you can get out of lockdown!)

10 Islands You Would Not Want To Be Shipwrecked On

10 Seychelles


Starting off, The Seychelles island is our first destination. It’s located in the Indian Ocean near Kenya/Madagascar and is host to some of the most beautiful greenery in the world. It unabashedly is the definition of a tropical island, with the sun beaming at crystal clear waters and having plenty of palm trees to go around. Lucky for you though, there is a bit of a human footprint already here meaning you can fly over and stay at a beautiful lodge, instead of having to fend for yourself and forage for food.

You get to just enjoy all of the upsides that the island has to offer with minimal downsides. The Seychelles international airport opened rather recently in 1971 as well, meaning it is still a fairly new land and there is plenty for you to explore, and still feels special. All in all Seychelles is a beautiful place and hopefully it makes it on your short list.[1]

9 Palawan


Coming up next are the Palawan islands and they are in fact located within the Philippines, a place known for its natural beauty. The Palawans in particular have a lot of variety to them which make for a great activity called island hopping. From lush mountainous ranges, to enclosed watering holes, and rich beaches, there’s always more to see on the next island. The Palawans are composed of around 110 islands, making island hopping a genuine tourist activity.

There is plenty to explore and experience here, all within the comfort of some of the most beautiful scenery. In addition to island hopping, there are also many towns and cultures within each one to experience. There are also many tours you can take as well, including boat and kayak rides along the clear, blue water. You truly get to dip your toes into anything that may interest you in the Palawan islands.[2]

8 Corfu


The island of Corfu is next up and has more of a Resort feel to it. It’s located in Greece and actually has an immense amount of history around it. Corfu has had known human contact since as early as 1300BC, that’s right, BC, not AC. Which means it has been known about for over 3000 years, with plenty of battles taking place on this very land. It even has roots in Greek mythology, which pictured it as a sort of paradise. Nowadays it is one of the more built up islands and has plenty of towns and roads that go through it.

In spite of this, there is still plenty of beauty to be found within its nature and also within its old human architecture. In addition to the lush wildlife and beautiful waters, it is also home to a vast amount of old buildings, ruins, forts and even castles. If you’re looking for a bit of both natural and man made beauty, then Corfu is definitely the destination. There is plenty to do and see here and despite its popularity within Europe, it is still relatively unknown in the West.[3]

7 Anguilla


Next up is the island of Anguilla. This island is in fact a part of the Carribean islands, but unlike the overwhelming popularity of the Carribean in years past, the Anguilla is a little more unknown and still offers a fresh experience in the Carribean. Anguilla maintains its low profile presence due to the current embargo placed on the island. Cruise ships, casinos and high rise hotels are all banned here, making it less appealing for your average tourist. Replacing these fancy things is the beautiful nature located here. Crystal clear waters, and untouched land are only some of the wonderful attributes that the Anguilla possess. Even though the island isn’t heavily developed, there still are some nice resorts that will make sure you have the time of your life. There is also a great community here, one that is always ready to have parties and music festivals once the sun goes down.[4]

6 Boracay


Now it’s hard to find tropical islands without the mention of the Philippines at least a couple times, introducing Boracay, one of the Philippines top rated islands! There is a reason why this is such an amazing island too, as it ticks all the boxes you would imagine a tropical vacation to have. It has immaculate beaches full of an exotic white sand that stretch for miles! Sailing, snorkeling, island-hopping, and hiking are just to name a few of the activities that are here, but it has just about anything you can imagine. Since travelling here is rather popular, they make it easy to travel, with bundles that include, travel, hotel, and transport, making your vacation that much easier. If looking for that ideal vacation, it is very hard to go wrong with Boracay.[5]

Top 10 Fascinating Atlantic Islands You Probably Haven’t Heard Of

5 Ko Lipe


If you ever want an amazing vacation, Ko Lipe is the way to go. This island looks to be the definition of paradise. Only the most wonderful waters are here, accompanied by the richest greenery imaginable. Instead of enjoying this wonderful scenery on the 12th floor of some hotel like some other islands, on Ko Lipe you get to live within it, in one of their many beach bungalows. Depending on which beachside you decide to stay on, you will also get the chance to see the sunrise or sunset every day, making for a truly exceptional morning and evening. In addition to the wonderful bungalow life that you would have, there is also a nearby town with plenty of bars and music to enjoy at night. While Ko Lipe sounds rather amazing, there are also many other islands around it, meaning there are plenty of tours to go on so you never get bored of the same beautiful views.[6]

4 St. Barts


Breaking the trend of going back to nature, we have St. Barts. This is the go to destination is you have a couple hundred thousand burning a hole in your pocket. What sets St. Bart apart from the rest is mainly its lodging and overall feel. Everything here is luxurious, you can rent super modern homes by the week and even a superyacht if it’s really what your midlife crisis desires. Regardless of price, it definitely is a sublime place to go if you want to fully relax, yet see some amazing sights as well.

St. Barts spares no expense, so much in fact that one of its highlighted activities is purely luxury shopping, not even experiencing the island itself. Though, there is still plenty to do here as it is host to many wonderful beaches, fine dining, and overall amazing housing. St. Barts is the ultimate retreat if you have the money to do so and it does not disappoint![7]

3 Kauai


Although you have probably heard of Hawaii, you most likely don’t know many of the islands it’s made up of. Introducing Kauai, one of Hawaii’s natural wonders. Kauai, unlike many other islands, has a wondrous mountainous region which has limitless potential in regard to amazing views. There’s also plenty to do here from guided ATV, boat and zipline tours, to golfing and horseback riding.

This island really is a jack of all trades and is sure to fulfill any of your vacation needs. There are also several towns with resorts here too, so you can expect the finest of treatment after your long days of adventuring. The island of Kauai manages to artfully balance the wonders of natural beauty, as well as the luxuries that come from modern society, making it an excellent vacation or even retirement destination![8]

2 Ambergris Caye


The Ambergris Caye also hits gold, striking a great balance between keeping you comfortable and letting you experience all of the rich nature the island has to offer. It is located in the Carribean and is actually a part of Belize! There is an almost limitless amount of things to do here as its sheer size allows for almost anything to come true. There are lots of water activities from diving, sailing, fishing, and you can even visit “The Great Blue Hole” which is a massive sinkhole that goes over 300 feet deep.

There are many protected species on this island meaning you will probably have never seen these animals with your own eyes before, let alone in real life. The variety is vast from fish, to birds, and monkeys. There are also quite a few historical sites that may peak your interest as well, such as old Mayan ruins and architecture around town. Ambergris Caye is a must see if you really want to immerse yourself in the wonders of a modern tropical island.[9]

1 Santorini


Lastly, we are going back to Greece, taking a look at its most famous island, the Santorini island. It gets this title for a reason too, it has just about everything you could ever want on a tropical island. The Santorini island has the wonderful beaches and nature that you would go to an island for and has some much more as well. It has beautiful old cities, lots of mountains and wildlife, and even an active volcano! That’s right, you could jet ski to the volcano, hang out on the lava sand beach, jet ski back, and hike to one of the old cities to enjoy a meal on the water all in one night. That being said, the Santorini takes the cake on this one as it has just about anything you can imagine, being the ultimate destination![10]

Top 10 Puzzling Island Mysteries

]]>
https://listorati.com/top-10-truly-spectacular-islands-for-post-covid-travel/feed/ 0 6206
Ten Tragic Tales From NYC’s Small Islands https://listorati.com/ten-tragic-tales-from-nycs-small-islands/ https://listorati.com/ten-tragic-tales-from-nycs-small-islands/#respond Fri, 12 May 2023 08:04:15 +0000 https://listorati.com/ten-tragic-tales-from-nycs-small-islands/

New York City is home to perhaps the most famous island in the world: the 13-mile long, 2-mile wide parcel called Manhattan. In fact, of NYC’s five boroughs only one – The Bronx – is connected to the mainland US.

Far smaller tracts dot the East River, Long Island Sound and other bodies of water flowing through the city limits. Most of them have harrowing histories.

Top 10 Bizarre Islands

10 A Pox on Thee: Roosevelt Island’s Ruins


Few diseases have been more impactful than smallpox. Notable victims include France’s King Louis XV, who it killed, and England’s Queen Elizabeth I, who wore makeup to conceal cringeworthy facial scarring from battling the disease as a child. In America, an estimated 90% of Native Americans died from smallpox, which they contracted from white settlers – including instances of intentional transmission through tainted blankets, a sort of rudimentary biowarfare.

Smallpox was finally eradicated in 1979 – but not before it had its way with New York.

Roosevelt Island is a narrow, two-mile-long strip between Manhattan and Queens, large enough for its own subway stop, its trademark tram of Spider-Man fame, a few apartment buildings and a technical campus for Cornell University. Its southern tip contains two adjacent, starkly different structures: a pristine park and monument dedicated to its namesake, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and the ruins of a 19th Century hospital where smallpox victims were segregated from the city and cared for, often futilely.

From 1856 until 1875, the facility known today as Renwick Hospital (after its architect) treated roughly 7,000 patients a year. Nearly 10,000 victims perished there over a span of two decades. Then, as with many institutions, the city’s swelling population caught up with it. As Roosevelt Island’s residence grew, the smallpox unit was shifted to tinier, more remote North Brothers Island. By the 1950s, Renwick Hospital had become useless and was abandoned by the city, quickly falling into disrepair.

9 Randall’s/Ward’s Islands: Fun Present, Dysfunctional Past

A mile north of Roosevelt Island is Randall’s Island, a shorter yet wider patch at the confluence of Manhattan, Queens and The Bronx accessible by the Robert F. Kennedy (formerly the Triborough) Bridge. Today, Randall’s is best known for two things: concert venues hosting popular music festivals, and soccer pitches, baseball diamonds and football fields where many of NYC’s schools hold practices and games. (Fun tourism fact: It also has the city’s best mini-golf course.)

The area wasn’t always such a good time. For decades, it was where the city tucked away many of its poor, sick and institutionalized. As with many of this list’s other tiny tracts, NYC officials saw the river as a ready-made moat to physically ostracize misfits; actually, “Island of Undesirables” was once Randall’s Island’s nickname.

Or rather, its neighbor’s. Because Randall’s Island itself was segregated – by a manmade stream aptly called Little Hell Gate Channel. They named the secondary turf Ward’s Island, which, though less than a square mile, nonetheless made room for the terminally ill, criminally insane and juvenilely delinquent. Other lowlights included a disreputable orphanage and a potter’s field. A literal shithole, Ward’s also housed (and continues to house) a sewage treatment plant.

Randall’s and Ward’s were reconnected in the 1960s, and the duo’s depressing past isn’t completely behind them. The former site of a decrepit insane asylum is now the barely-less-decrepit Manhattan Psychiatric Center.

8 Made for Quarantining: Hoffman & Swinburne Islands

Despite the famous statue that, starting in 1876, would adorn another nearby island – one that urged foreign lands to “give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free” – one thing New York City didn’t want was your contagiously ill.

Just south of the Verrazzano Narrows Bridge, which connects Brooklyn and Staten Island, are two tiny tracts that have existed for exactly 151 and 148 years, respectively. The smaller, Swinburne, was created from landfill in 1870, with its larger counterpart, Hoffmann, completed in 1873. At the time, however, few knew these fanciful names; to most, they were simply Lower and Upper Quarantine Islands.

NYC’s most famous immigration intake facility, Ellis Island, did not commence operations until 1892. In the 35 years prior, new arrivals were processed at Castle Garden (now Castle Clinton) at Manhattan’s southern tip.

Before 1870, immigrants suspected of contagion were quarantined in Staten Island – not exactly fair, since it didn’t become part of NYC until 1898. So NYC used landfill to create two islands – a large one for those potentially exposed (yet asymptomatic), and small one for those showing symptoms of one infectious disease or another. So basically a tiny, man-made petri dish.

Surprisingly, only about a dozen people died there, including a doctor. Notably, during World War I Swinburne’s hospital was used to treat US soldiers suffering from venereal disease. Today, both are uninhabited bird sanctuaries, their ruins incorporated into Gateway National Recreation Area.

7 What’s in a Name? Rat Island

A half-mile off The Bronx’s causeway-connected City Island, in Long Island Sound, is a 2½-acre islet with no definitive origin surrounding its less-than-appealing name: Rat Island. Three distinct possibilities exist.

Let’s start with the most mundane, which involves marine navigation. Since the island lies between two larger parcels of land – City Island and Hart Island (for more on Hart Island, see the final two entries) – it’s likely rattles were once used as noisemakers to warn night-sailing ships of nearby ground. In this theory – espoused by the island’s current owner, Alex Schibli – Rat is short for “rattle.”

Now the more entertaining ones. During the typhoid fever scares of the 1800s, the island housed a 40-person quarantine hospital. Back then, the islet was considered part of Pelham, and became known alliteratively as the Pelham Pesthouse. All this activity, of course, attracted vermin – hence, Rat Island.

But the last possibility is the coolest. Among other notorious institutions, nearby Hart Island once contained a prison. In the 19th Century, “rat” was a term used by guards to describe inmates. To escape to City Island (and the mainland) was a mile swim, and the tiny islet in between was a natural resting point; many even wore boxes on their heads to be mistaken for floating trash. Rat Island: a respite en route to felon freedom.

6 Smallest & Oddest: U Thant Island

On August 28, 1973, subway riders lived every New Yorker’s nightmare. A concrete slab in a tunnel under the East River fell, killing one passenger and trapping 1,000 others in 115-degree heat and smoke for over an hour. Their near-tomb was Steinway Tunnel – named for the pianos made in Astoria, Queens.

The tunnel had always been troubling. Around 1880, William Steinway wanted to run trains between Manhattan and his promising piano factory in Queens. The project got off the ground, underground, then… boom! An explosion killed five workers and bankrupted the contractor.

Still, the tunnel endured, and its dregs created a 200×100-foot islet off the East Midtown coast. It was named Belmont island, after the project’s financer.

Unknown to all, the tiny tract would later grace the sightline of the United Nations headquarters, completed in 1948. Now, a man-made mound of dirt became the perfect guerrilla protest destination. In 1972, Belmont was declared “Soviet Jewry Freedom Island” and occupied for 2½ hours to protest Soviet emigration policy.

But it was five years later that Belmont became NYC’s oddest-named island… unofficially, anyway. In 1977, followers of the guru Sri Chinmoy, who served as the UN’s interfaith chaplain, leased the land and renamed it after the Burmese former United Nations Secretary General U Thant, a friend of Chinmoy. Today, it’s home to a “oneness arch” of Thant’s personal items.

5 Fake Island, Real Damage: The Black Tom Explosion

The year was 1916 and, though the U.S. had yet to enter World War 1, the country’s manufacturing heft made it a steady supplier of munitions to the English and French. The majority of these were shipped from greater New York City – actually just across the river in Jersey City, New Jersey.

The embarkation point was a man-made island – Black Tom Island, allegedly named for a local dark-skinned fisherman (woke much, 1910s?) – originally built around a tough-to-spot rock that made navigation dangerous. There, a railroad hub had been built where, on July 30, 1916, some two million tons of war materials were ready for shipment overseas.

Then… boom! German saboteurs blew it up. The explosion was the equivalent of an earthquake measuring between 5.0 and 5.5 on the Richter Scale. Windows within a 25-mile radius shattered, the outside wall of Jersey City’s City Hall was cracked, and metal shrapnel damaged the Statue of Liberty’s skirt. New arrivals on nearby Ellis Island were evacuated. Seven people were killed, and an estimated $20 million in damages incurred.

Combined with continued German submarine attacks and its attempts to convince Mexico to ally itself with the Kaiser against America, the Black Tom incident was a factor in America’s eventual entrance into the war in April 1917. Today, Black Tom Island is connected to Liberty State Park, which gained notoriety as a massive triage location in the immediate aftermath of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

4 Just Offal: NYC’s Smelliest Island

Before NYC was a subway and taxi town it was, like many cities, a horse town. Horse-drawn carriages permeated the streets; by 1900, some 200,000 horses lived in NYC – and are, in fact, a big reason many residences have staircases leading up to the front door. Who wants their first step outside to be ankle-deep in horseshit?

Anyway, those horses inevitably died and, when they did, their carcasses were used to make glue and fertilizer. Between 1850 and 1930, much of this occurred on a small strip off Brooklyn’s southeast shore called Barren Island. Over decades, the offal of hundreds of thousands of horses quite literally bled into the surrounding waters, lending a name – Dead Horse Bay – that exists to this day.

Here, the story of Barren Island goes from just plain gross to just plain weird. Around 1900, the tract also became used as a trash heap. Filled to capacity by 1930, it was capped and left to rot, which much of it invariably did.

But then, in 1950, the cap burst. Ever since, slower-degrading trash – such as glass – has been steadily leaking up to the island’s surface, as well as into the bay. Dead Horse Bay suddenly had an equally discomfiting neighbor: Glass Bottle Beach.

For years, the area became a popular destination for antique enthusiasts searching for today’s treasure amid yesterday’s rubbish. However, access to the area was suspended last year when high levels of radioactivity were detected.

3 Among America’s Worst: Riker’s Island

The island synonymous with incarceration in New York City wasn’t always a hellhole consistently ranked among the ten worst places to serve time in the United States. In fact, it was once quite quaint.

Riker’s is named for Abraham Rycken, a Dutch settler who moved to Long Island in 1638 and purchased it in 1664. Rycken’s descendants, the Ricker family, owned the tract until 1884, when it was sold to the city for $180,000. Along with attractive farmland, the island served as a training ground for New York troops during the Civil War.

Its downturn started in 1925. Now officially part of greater New York City, municipal leaders wanted to replace the crowded, dilapidated prison on the aforementioned Roosevelt Island (then known as Welfare Island). They chose Riker’s, and its prison opened in 1932.

Why Riker’s? Because it was already a disaster area. By 1930, some 1.5 million cubic yards of refuse – more than the amount of debris displaced to build the World Trade Center in the 1960s – had been dumped there. Much of the waste was ash from coal heating and incinerators, causing spontaneous phosphorescent fires. Fun.

Today, Riker’s Island contains ten city jails of varying decay and danger. Until last year, many detainees were poor folks arrested for minor offences, unable to afford bail and awaiting a hearing at the city’s notoriously backlogged courts.

2 A Mile Long, a Million Dead: Hart Island

Half a mile east of The Bronx’s more populous City Island, the mile-long, 1/3-mile-wide Hart Island has perhaps the most morbid history of any parcel in greater NYC.

It started promisingly enough. Hart Island was first publicly utilized in 1864, as training grounds for Black Union troops during the Civil War. As POWs mounted that year – primarily because Confederate leaders refused to take Black prisoners, prompting Union leaders to eliminate prisoner exchanges in protest – a war prison camp was added. Following the war, Hart housed other not-so-fun facilities including a tuberculosis sanitarium, a jail, a homeless shelter and a boys’ reformatory.

But most prominently, the island was a potter’s field. Incredibly, the remains of over a million bodies lie in shallow mass graves throughout the diminutive tract. A fancy funeral this was not: burials on Hart included the homeless, indigent, unclaimed, and disease-ridden (more on that shortly).

In fact, burials still occur today, though far fewer – about 1,500 per year. The sad deed is performed by residents of another nearby island: Riker’s Island, the city’s notorious primary jail. So essentially, inmates are ferried to forced gravedigging duties on the creepiest place in the entire city. Don’t ever get arrested in New York, folks.

Recently, an effort was launched to identify as many souls buried at Hart Island as possible. The initiative includes a fascinating interactive map showing the project’s progress.

1 Hart-breaking: Hart Island, COVID & AIDS


In the previous entry we mentioned that the pace of burials at Hart Island had slowed. That was until…oh, about March of 2020.

A hub of international travel, New York City was among the first US locations to be inundated by the COVID-19 pandemic. It wasn’t just hospitals that were overwhelmed: the city’s morgues quickly ran out of room, forcing bodies to be stored in massive freezer trucks and other makeshift settings.

By March 2021, NYC was on pace to bury 1 in 10 COVID victims at Hart. Pictures of workers in protective gear burying people in shallow graves permeated local media. At least 2,300 adults were interred there in 2020 — 2½ times the 2019 figure and 1,000 more than in 1988.

That year – 1988 – is significant because it marked the peak of AIDS-related deaths in NYC. Hart Island is intimately linked with the AIDS epidemic, due largely to the period’s widespread paranoia. Starting in 1985, the first NYC residents identified as AIDS victims were shipped to Hart Island, then buried in an isolated area away from the remains of other individuals, in deep graves under several feet of dirt rather than the typical three.

In fact, the only single marked gravesite on Hart Island belongs to NYC’s first pediatric AIDS victim. The concrete marker simply reads “SC (special child) B1 (Baby 1) 1985.”

10 Strange and Mysterious Islands

Christopher Dale

Chris writes op-eds for major daily newspapers, fatherhood pieces for Parents.com and, because he”s not quite right in the head, essays for sobriety outlets and mental health publications.


Read More:


Twitter Website

]]>
https://listorati.com/ten-tragic-tales-from-nycs-small-islands/feed/ 0 5778
10 Lesser-Known Facts About Unique Islands https://listorati.com/10-lesser-known-facts-about-unique-islands/ https://listorati.com/10-lesser-known-facts-about-unique-islands/#respond Sat, 18 Mar 2023 02:02:10 +0000 https://listorati.com/10-lesser-known-facts-about-unique-islands/

An island is an idyllic destination for millions of travelers worldwide. Especially when the said island is sun-drenched with white sand beaches and surrounded by nothing but turquoise ocean. However, those with an adventurous side seek out the more obscure islands that harbor a secret or two, which makes for a fascinating visit every time.

Sometimes these secrets are awesome; sometimes, they’re creepy. On this list is a mix of both these types of islands found around the globe.

10 Suwarrow

Suwarrow forms part of the Cook Islands in the south Pacific Ocean and often suffers storm surges because it is an extremely low-lying atoll. The island was declared a National Heritage Park in 1978 and falls under Cook Islands law. Two island caretakers share the space with over a million sea birds, which include eleven different species.

Suwarrow was once described as the most romantic island in the world, but it is the lure of being a treasure island that put it on the obscure map. A ship’s crew from Tahiti was doing salvage work on the island during the mid-19th century when the captain dug up an iron chest filled with gold and silver coins. In 1876, Henry Mair discovered a rusted box inside a turtle’s nest containing more treasure in the form of gold and silver necklaces, coins, and brooches. He had no way of taking the loot with him, so he decided to rebury it. Mair then drew up a treasure map of sorts to remember the location.

Mair was killed in the New Hebrides in 1891, and his treasure map was never found.[1]

9 Flatey Island

Flatey Island was named top of the list of The Best 50 Islands in the World 2019, yet most people have never heard of it. The island is just under two kilometers (1.25 miles) in length and boasts a whopping six permanent residents.

Flatey lies off the west coast of Iceland and is the only one out of 3,000 in Breiðafjörður Bay that is inhabited. Furthermore, it is also the location of Iceland’s very first library and Flatey Church. It is only accessible by ferry, and cars are not allowed on the island. The beautiful landscape has served as inspiration for filmmakers, with the most notable movie set on Flatey being The Honour of the House (1999).[2]

8 Mou Waho

There are five islands on the stunning Lake Wanaka in New Zealand, the most obscure and remote of which is Mou Waho. Long ago, it was inhabited by both Europeans as well as Maori, and sheep farming boomed. Today, bird life flourishes here, especially buff weka.

Mou Waho or “Outer Island” is referred to as an “island, within a lake, on an island, in a lake, on an island in the ocean.” Near the top of the island is Arethusa Pool, which has its own islet set into it. Climbing to the highest point above it, you will see island, water, island, water, and island. And this stunning sight is accessible within a mere 3-kilometer (1.86-mile)walk.[3]

7 Okinawa

If Okinawa sounds familiar, it’s probably because you’ve seen The Karate Kid or binged the movie’s spin-off, Cobra Kai. It is on Okinawa, in Tomi Village, that Mr. Miyagi once lived before leaving for America. In Cobra Kai, Daniel LaRusso returns to the island, only to find that it has become unrecognizable.

In real life, Okinawa is part of Japan but, technically speaking, not Japanese. Those who live on the island are known as Nippon-jin, and the island is a haven for the elderly. It is also the birthplace of karate, with the fighting method developed by Okinawans as an answer to the attacks of Japanese samurai.

Okinawa is rumored to be one of the most haunted places in the world. The Kadena Air Base, an American airbase, once held “Building 2283.” This building was the home of an Air Force officer in the 1970s. The officer murdered his family inside the home before killing himself. When the next family moved in, the father of the family attacked his wife and children with a knife. After these terrible incidents, the building became a storage shed before reportedly being demolished in 2009.

It is said that it took a long time before anyone was able to successfully tear the place down because workers kept getting severe headaches and suffered from hallucinations whenever they set up their equipment.

And perhaps creepiest of all, there was a daycare center next door to Building 2283, and the young children that attended the school kept throwing their toys over the fence that separated them from the building. When asked why they were doing this, the children said that the kids on the other side asked them to…[4]

6 Saba

Saba island may be the smallest of its kind in the Dutch Caribbean. However, she boasts the highest point in the Dutch Kingdom, namely Mount Scenery, which towers 887 meters (2,910 feet) into the air. Mount Scenery is a potentially active volcano, with its last eruption having taken place in 1640.

Not only is Saba the smallest island in its surroundings, but it also holds the world’s smallest runway. Located along the edge of a beach, the runway is a mere 400 meters (1,312 feet) long, which means that if a pilot overshoots, he will plunge himself and his passengers right into the Atlantic.

A wonderful fact about this magnificent little place is that it is one of the safest places in the world for solo female travelers. There is next to no crime, and the locals are extremely friendly toward tourists. On the island, there are many sights to take in other than the stunning vista of the surrounding ocean, including several old burial sites on private properties.

The 1933 movie King Kong used the silhouette of Saba for “Skull Island.” Looking at the island, even just in a photograph, it’s easy to picture giant animals roaming around or surprising you by peeking over the top of the volcano.[5]

5 Andros

When it comes to the Bahamas, visitors tend to seek out New Providence, Paradise Island, and Grand Bahama Island. However, if you’re planning a visit to the Bahamas, a trip to the hidden gem of Andros Island should definitely form part of your itinerary.

Andros is the biggest island in the Bahamas by far, stretching over 5,960 square kilometers (2,300 square miles). It is also the fifth-largest island in the entire Caribbean. It is often referred to as the Secret Garden of the Bahamas, as it is home to over 60 species of wild orchids. Furthermore, Andros is also home to the third-largest barrier reef in the world. The region separating Andros and New Providence is called TOTO (Tongue of the Ocean). It holds very deep water surrounded by islands, reefs, and shoals.

It is rumored that the mythical creature, Chickcharney, still roams the island, with some believing that the legend comes from sightings of a prehistoric barn owl. However, remains of the owl, Tyto pollens, have yet to be discovered on Andros.[6]

4 Fadiouth Shell Island

In Mbour, Senegal, you can find Fadiouth Shell Island. As the name suggests, the island is made up of millions of clam shells that have accumulated over hundreds of years. The streets here are paved with shells and lead to a wooden bridge which, in turn, leads to a second shell island.

The second island is also completely made from shells but is known more for its cemetery than its fabrication. It is estimated that around 90% of Senegal residents adhere to Islam. However, the entire cemetery on the second island is marked by white Christian crosses. It is seen as a monument to the very-much-in-the-minority Christian religion of the country. It is definitely a strange sight to behold. The cemetery is also seen as a testament to the religious tolerance in the area.[7]

3 Danger Islands

Until 2018, biologists believed that the number of Adelie penguins had been steadily declining. Then scientists discovered a supercolony of more than 1.5 million Adelie penguins on the Danger Islands off the northern tip of the Antarctic Peninsula. The penguin colony has gone undetected for many decades, mainly because of the danger of the waters surrounding the islands and the remoteness of the islands themselves.

The Danger Islands were first discovered by James Clark Ross in 1842, who saw the hazard that the ice in the area presented. The expedition didn’t even notice the islands until their ship was almost upon them because the ice concealed them so well.[8]

2 Corregidor

At the entrance of Manila Bay in the Philippines lies Corregidor Island. Historically, the island was fortified with coastal artillery batteries meant to defend the entrance as well as Manila itself from attacks by warships. During the Second World War, Corregidor was instrumental during the invasion and liberation of the Philippines but was also heavily damaged during the later stages of the battle.

Today, the ruins on the island serve as a memorial for the soldiers who lost their lives. The Pacific War Memorial stands on the highest part of Topside on the island. There is a Japanese Garden of Peace, built in honor of the Japanese soldiers who died on Corregidor during the war. Those who visit the island can also take in the sight of the lighthouse, which is one of its oldest landmarks.

Naturally, because of its bloody history, Corregidor is considered to be haunted by those who lived and fought here many years ago. The Old Corregidor Island Hospital, which dates back to 1912, is said to be the creepiest place on the island today. Some have heard screaming and crying emanating from its ruins. Others claim to have heard the sounds of a normally-functioning hospital from its empty corridors.[9]

1 Santa Catalina

If you’re in the mood to party on a glass-bottom boat while taking in the views of the Pacific Ocean, a trip to Santa Catalina Island will be right up your alley. Catalina lies just over 32 kilometers (20 miles) off the coast of Southern California and is a favorite with those who want to escape the busy city life.

During WWII, Catalina was inaccessible to visitors as it became a military training base. The Catalina Island Museum provides a glimpse of the island’s history for those who want an educational break from the beach.

But while you’re wandering around Catalina, you should keep an eye out for the spectral ballplayer who is often seen at the Catalina Country Club. Visitors have reported seeing apparitions walking through solid walls in the local theater, wearing 1920s attire. Some have even had a close encounter with an old woman dressed in a white robe floating around in the restroom.[10]

]]>
https://listorati.com/10-lesser-known-facts-about-unique-islands/feed/ 0 4873
Interesting Potential Solutions to “Urban Heat Islands” https://listorati.com/interesting-potential-solutions-to-urban-heat-islands/ https://listorati.com/interesting-potential-solutions-to-urban-heat-islands/#respond Sun, 26 Feb 2023 20:58:07 +0000 https://listorati.com/interesting-potential-solutions-to-urban-heat-islands/

Urban heat islands (UHI) are areas with significantly higher temperatures than the regions surrounding them. The retention and generation of heat in the urban core contributes to climate change and lower air quality for people living in and near the heat islands. They also have a negative effect on rainfall downwind of the UHI. UHIs are also a leading cause of weather-related deaths in the United States. Cities which have insufficient cooling at night during periods of hot weather have shown increases in heat related deaths, much of which has been attributed to UHIs.

There causes are many, but fortunately solutions exist to counter their negative effects on the population and on the environment. Several of these solutions are doubly attractive as they simultaneously address other urban issues, such as quality of life and eliminating food deserts. They help make cities more attractive and livable for residents and visitors alike. Here are ten ways to mitigate the detrimental effects of UHI and create better cities for the present and for future generations.

This is an encore of one of our previous lists, as presented by our YouTube host Simon Whistler. Read the full list!

]]>
https://listorati.com/interesting-potential-solutions-to-urban-heat-islands/feed/ 0 3682
10 Solutions to “Urban Heat Islands” https://listorati.com/10-solutions-to-urban-heat-islands/ https://listorati.com/10-solutions-to-urban-heat-islands/#respond Fri, 17 Feb 2023 09:29:07 +0000 https://listorati.com/10-solutions-to-urban-heat-islands/

Urban heat islands (UHI) are areas with significantly higher temperatures than the regions surrounding them. The retention and generation of heat in the urban core contributes to climate change and lower air quality for people living in and near the heat islands. They also have a negative effect on rainfall downwind of the UHI. UHIs are also a leading cause of weather-related deaths in the United States. Cities which have insufficient cooling at night during periods of hot weather have shown increases in heat related deaths, much of which has been attributed to UHIs.

There causes are many, but fortunately solutions exist to counter their negative effects on the population and on the environment. Several of these solutions are doubly attractive as they simultaneously address other urban issues, such as quality of life and eliminating food deserts. They help make cities more attractive and livable for residents and visitors alike. Here are ten ways to mitigate the detrimental effects of UHI and create better cities for the present and for future generations.

10. Creating more pocket parks

Converting disused or abandoned urban properties into small parks, called pocket parks by urban planners and architects, has proven effective in combating the heat island problem. Post World War II Athens, Greece, underwent a housing boom, during which row upon row of apartment blocks replaced detached homes with surrounding greenery. Beginning in the late 1990s, Athens undertook projects to create pocket parks from small abandoned lots and in alleyways and mews. Roads designed to accommodate automobiles have also been converted to green spaces lined with paths for pedestrians and automobiles. The expanded greenery helps cool the city, as well as improves the air quality.

Other cities have seen the value of pocket parks, including their contribution to an enhanced quality of life by offering convenient opportunities to ease out of urban stress. Chicago has dozens of such small parks, with more planned. Mexico City has built about 3.5 acres of small pocket parks scattered across the city, including in disused spaces under bridges and overpasses. Paris is known for its wide boulevards and open spaces, but it too has adopted pocket parks as part of long term urban planning.

Pocket parks alone do not present the solution to UHIs, but they can and do contribute to the reduction of the urban core’s heat retention. At the same time, they offer little oases of peace and relaxation without leaving the urban area. Their use is influencing urban planners, both for quality of life and attempts at creating less heat-retentive urban cores. Whether in a large, international city or a mid-sized town, they are an effective tool against UHIs.

9. Create heat reflecting, rather than absorbing roofs

Dark colors absorb heat, while light colors reflect it. Thus, it makes sense that dark colored roofs absorb heat in daylight and release it during the relatively cooler hours of night. The slowly released heat remains, for the most part, in a bubble over the area, the very image of the UHI. On a day when the ambient air temperature is at 90 degrees, the temperature of a dark, heat absorbing roof can exceed 190 degrees. A dense concentration of such roofs traps a lot of heat, which is a significant contribution to the increased temperature of the UHI in comparison to the rural areas which surround it.

Heat reflective roofs are an obvious solution to the heat retention problem. And, as with pocket parks, they offer other advantages as well. They can reduce internal temperatures of the building, reducing the need for air conditioning. Absorbed heat is damaging to roofs; reflected heat reduces wear on roofs and contributes to a longer service life. Cool roofs thus benefit the community as well as the owner and occupants of buildings on which they are installed.

Beginning in 2012 in New York, volunteers began painting dark roofs white, in an attempt to reduce the city’s heat retention. As of 2018 they had painted almost 7 million square feet of formerly dark tar roofs, a lot of paint and a lot of time. Even with that effort, 99% of the city’s roofs remained untreated, an indication of the severity of the problem.

8. Creating rooftop gardens and farms

rooftop

Painting roofs white, or treating them with a reflective coating, isn’t the only way to achieve a cooler roof. That’s a lot of wasted space up there. Putting it to use as areas where greenery is grown reduces heat absorption, improves air quality, and offers another benefit as well. Greenery in the form of fruits and vegetables can offer locally grown fresh produce within the urban core. It is neither far-fetched nor a vision of the distant future. In a growing number of cities urban rooftop gardening and commercial farming is a reality.

In Montreal, a grocer converted his 25,000 square foot roof into a produce farm, growing tomatoes, herbs, beets, lettuce, and other vegetables. Grown in soil, and watered by the store’s dehumidification plant, the rooftop farm’s produce is packaged and sold in the store below. In Tel Aviv, Israel’s Dizengoff Center, a large shopping mall, the flat roof supports two huge greenhouses which grow vegetables hydroponically. During the growing season it produces about 10,000 heads of lettuce per month, for sale to customers outside the mall. It grows a slew of other vegetables as well, and as in Montreal, provides a cooler roof for the buildings below.

Eagle Street Rooftop Farm sits above a three-story warehouse, across the East River from Manhattan in Brooklyn. Its 6,000 square feet of growing space supplies produce for sale at its own farmer’s market, as well as to restaurants in the area. Like the facilities in Montreal and Tel Aviv, it also maintains beehives for the harvesting of fresh honey. Cooling UHIs by growing fresh food on the roofs is a simple and easily achievable means of reducing urban heat, improving the air, and giving access to locally produced fresh fruits and vegetables.

7. Lighter pavement in streets and parking lots

As anyone walking across an asphalt parking lot on a hot sunny day can attest, dark pavements absorb a lot of heat. And pavement is an essential part of any city, for vehicles and pedestrians to move about. An American Environmental Protection Agency report suggests that anywhere from 35-40% of an average city’s urban area is covered in pavement, making it a major contributor to UHIs. And cooler pavements are more difficult to achieve, since they cannot be covered with greenery. Other factors also need to be considered, such as driver and pedestrian safety, visibility, and pavement durability.

Current types of pavements can be treated with materials, such as coatings, to increase the amount of light which is reflected, rather than absorbed. Other types have been studied for suitability for future repaving of streets, roads, and parking lots. One is permeable pavement, which is coarser in density, allowing for greater convection during the daylight hours, and reduces the amount of heat which is stored in the pavement for later release. It also allows for more absorption of water, reducing storm runoff during heavy rains. Lighter colored pavements also reduce the need for candlepower in street lighting.

The use of cool pavements can reduce heat retention, leading to a reduction of the temperatures of UHIs, as well as offer better visibility to drivers at night. There are cost concerns. Replacing or modifying existing pavements in cities is a seriously complicated proposal, and implementation affects traffic patterns, commuting times, and other complications of urban life. But the potential advantages to be gained may well outweigh the costs, when overall adverse effects of UHIs are considered.

6. Create better blue spaces in urban areas

Blue spaces are water within an urban area, whether running streams, lakes and ponds, or fountains and pools. Properly designed and maintained they mitigate heat islands. Improperly designed or maintained they may make matters worse. Water cools primarily through evaporation at the surface. But it also absorbs heat, with standing water temperature rising during the course of the day as sunlight warms the surface.

Man-made blue spaces such as fountains run by pumps can actually add to the heat retention effect, since pumps create friction while operating. They also contribute to power demand, another source of heat retention. The cooling effect of blue spaces in cities is enhanced when it is combined with the use of green spaces, which in effect creates an island within an island, or a cool space surrounded by a larger UHI. More such islands reduce the overall heat retained by the UHI.

More blue spaces in urban areas have been shown to produce other benefits beyond temperature reductions. Living near blue spaces has been shown to reduce stress, improve physical exercise, and lower obesity rates, all considerable advantages. Of course, to gain the full benefit of natural blue spaces, such as rivers, centuries of effluents into the water needs to be cleaned up in all too many urban areas.

5. Plant more shade trees in the urban area

The larger the shade canopy, the less sunlight reaches the heat retaining surfaces of a city. This includes not just pavements and rooftops, but the exterior walls of brick, stone, and concrete buildings, as well as the interiors of those sided with glass. Shade trees can also protect large areas of blue spaces, and the combination of increased blue and green spaces is one of the most effective ways of reducing heat retention during daylight hours.

Urban parks and forests offer other advantages as well. Both quality of life and the quality of the air are improved by large, shaded, forested areas in cities. A 2014 study by Georgia Tech revealed Louisville, Kentucky, as one of the fastest growing UHIs in the United States. It also revealed that a major contributor to the increased heat was the lack of shade trees in many areas of the city, including the downtown area. The relationship between shade trees and heat retention is clear. More trees = cooler city.

Cities typically lose trees to a variety of causes, including pests, blight, new construction, and natural activities such as thunderstorms and winter blizzards. The Georgia Tech study found that planting more trees and increasing the shade canopy is the single most effective method of reducing heat buildup and the resulting UHIs. Simply put, trees and shade offer natural protection from the potentially damaging rays of the sun and the heat they produce.

4. Vertical gardens improve air quality and lessen heat retention

Vertical gardens are becoming more and more popular in cities around the world, both for their esthetic value and for their cost-effective impact on heat retention. In Singapore, 18 towers built for the purpose are covered with growing plants, and backed with solar powered lights. The result is a dramatic display of vegetation which helps cool the city at the same time it provides a major tourist attraction. In Mexico City, officials took a more practical approach. Columns supporting bridges and elevated roadways are lined with felt, through which plants grow, watered by their own rainwater collection system.

In Paris, the façade surrounding the entrance to the Musee du Quai Branly is covered with more than 15,000 plants covering its vertical walls, framing the entrance in greenery. The Athenaeum Hotel in London has seven stories of plants climbing an exterior vertical corner of the building. Vertical gardens, besides offering dramatic displays of plants, cool the air, improve air quality, and also protect the structure on which they are grown from absorbing heat during sunlit hours.

Beirut, as well as other communities in Lebanon, has also turned to vertical gardens to address the issues of UHIs, air quality, and beautification. Vertical gardens are a part of the solution for all three, but only when used in conjunction with other attempts at mitigation. They also help reduce city noise for residents, and plants act as a natural filter for rainwater. They can also be used to produce herbs and other consumable plants, though as of this writing they have yet to gain favor in the United States.

3. Reduce traffic congestion

Automobile and truck traffic are a major contributor to UHIs. Reduction of their use produces obvious benefits to cities, reducing both UHI severity and pollutants in the air. Lighter colored cars also absorb less heat. Dark colored cars in bumper-bumper traffic obviously negates the benefit of lighter colored pavements.

But any attempt to reduce the use of the automobile is immediately controversial, especially in the United States. There, in major cities, it is common to sit in traffic for well beyond the length of the workday, and a decision of any governmental body to eliminate dark colors for cars would be met with howls of protests over infringements on personal liberty. Reducing automobile use would immediately reduce the temperatures of UHIs, but is unlikely to happen any time soon.

It is a scientific fact that automobile emissions contribute to both air pollution and UHIs and in hot weather conditions the contribution is multiplied. Reducing traffic congestion is therefore desirable if one wishes to reduce the impact of UHIs. There are other methods of reducing congestion without restricting the number of vehicles on the road. In the UK, these methods are being explored and, in some cases, implemented.

2. Create cooler storm water runoff to improve water quality

Stormwater runoff from hot roofs and pavements has been shown to increase temperatures of streams and lakes. Increased temperatures induce negative effects on aquatic life, both plant and animal. The result is unhealthy waters which become lifeless and lose much of their ability to cool and filter. Deteriorating water quality is another result of UHIs which affects the lives of those in the urban area, as well as the lives of those who live downstream.

One solution is the creation of bioswales, constructed dips in the features of the landscape which can hold water temporarily, allowing it to cool, before routing it to streams. Permeable pavements, which cool the surface of the urban area, also absorb and diffuse more water, rather than directing it to storm drains. All of the mitigation efforts so far listed have a positive impact of cooling storm runoff, which would benefit streams and lakes.

Because water in rivers flows downstream, the effects of UHIs on water quality extends beyond the urban area, impacting aquatic biodiversity far from the heat center. The adverse impact of UHIs on water quality is a major incentive for cooling urban environments.

1. More efficient air conditioning could reduce UHIs

Air conditioning cools interiors by absorbing heat which is released to the outside air. Cooling interiors are heating the city where the interiors are located. In essence the heat (and humidity) internal to a building is ejected outside. In a densely populated area on a hot day, massive amounts of heat are added to the air outside, creating a dome which traps sunlight creating heat.

Yet air conditioning and refrigeration are facts of modern life. More efficient methods of cooling the air within buildings and vehicles would go a long way toward mitigating the effects of UHIs. Research to attain more efficient air conditioning is underway. If and when attained it will be just one of the several weapons deployed by future generations to combat the dangers of UHIs.

None of the strategies in this list will succeed in eliminating UHIs alone. But in varying combinations, depending on local politics, community involvement, and environmental factors, combinations of several could have a mitigating effect on UHIs, making cities more comfortable, and thus livable, across the globe.

]]>
https://listorati.com/10-solutions-to-urban-heat-islands/feed/ 0 2966