Water is one of very few chemicals that is found as a liquid, solid and gas at any time on Earth. These three states of water help explain why ice makes a cracking sound when water is poured over it.
Australians need better planning to cope with extreme heat.
Mike Blake/Reuters
Australia’s scorching summers aren’t just inconvenient: heatwaves are deadly. Yet new research has found many vulnerable people don’t have a plan for extreme heat.
Tennis Australia recommends suspending play when the “wet bulb globe temperature”, which accounts for sun, air temperature and humidity, exceeds 34°C.
AAP/Lucas Koch
Greening cities have a huge impact. The trees go beyond just lowering temperatures. They help decrease the demand for indoor cooling like air-conditioners saving money.
When is it too hot to fly?
Dmitri Fedorov/Shutterstock.com
Extreme heat divides people from the environment and from each other. So with the rapid densification of our cities, what kind of legacies are we building for future generations?
What exactly does research say on heatwaves and hot days?
AAP Image/Tracey Nearmy
Climate Council CEO Amanda McKenzie told Q&A that heatwaves were ‘worsening’ in Australia and ‘hot days’ had doubled in the last 50 years. Let’s take a look at the evidence.
Sometimes only a water fountain will do.
Dan Peled/AAP
Another month, another broken temperature record. Scientists are already confident 2016 will be the hottest year ever, a record only set in 2015.
Some materials and surfaces radiate much more heat (red areas) than others, as can be seen in this thermal image of Arncliffe Street in Wolli Creek, Sydney.
Hot spots occur at the scale of where people live – the building, the street, the block – which means urban design and building materials have profound implications for our health and well-being.