Nkosi Muse, PhD

*sigh*

At the point in my academic career now where I just pull from a stash of figures to explain my thoughts

If we convert the specific humidity thresholds to dewpoint, here's a map showing the extent of summertime "mugginess", where the average dewpoint is 65°F+ (northern blue contour line). The southern blue contour line shows the region where the average summertime dewpoint is a soupy 72°F+.

Nighttime land surface temperature and thermal discomfort in a seasonally muggy climate - Climatic Change Globally, increasing air moisture can limit not only the human body’s ability to cool down, but also that of the Earth’s surface. This interaction, however, remains understudied—especially across subtropical-to-tropical regions that experience high levels of humidity. Here, we examine how air moisture influences nighttime land surface temperatures (LSTs), as well as what this interaction means for thermal comfort overnight. During summer months across seasonally muggy Southern Florida, during which time air moisture reaches the highest values of any place in the United States, we examine: 1) how air moisture, measured as specific humidity, varies with urbanicity and geography; 2) whether air moisture limits LST cooling at night; and 3) the implications of increased air moisture and nighttime LSTs for thermal comfort overnight. Based on data from 30 weather stations, we find that nighttime LST remains higher and closer to daytime highs in areas with increased specific humidity, highlighting a decreased surface cooling phenomenon in more humid areas. Both urban and coastal areas exhibit higher nighttime LSTs that are strongly related to thermal discomfort—also resulting in more time spent at or above critical thresholds for thermal discomfort overnight. This analysis therefore underscores the importance of heat mitigation and adaptation strategies that reduce LSTs and anthropogenic heat inputs in seasonally muggy climates in order to increase thermal comfort, especially near coastlines at lower latitudes.

I'm thrilled to share this paper that was just published today in Climatic Change on the effect of "seasonally muggy" conditions that exacerbate chronic heat and thermal discomfort in places like south Florida.

doi.org/10.1007/s105...

Lead author: @weatherkos.bsky.social

@ninalakhani.bsky.social hi Nina, audience member from of your nyc climate panels here—had a question for you but had to run out! Any way I can get in touch? Thank you

Congrats on defending!!

Thank you 🙂 (6 months later 🫣)

Records confirm what you’re already feeling: Miami nights are hotter than ever Our daily low temperatures, usually recorded just before sunrise, also are higher than ever.

"Records confirm what runners, bar and restaurant owners and just about anybody who spends time outside in South Florida can sense. Miami nights are hotter than ever."

www.miamiherald.com/news/local/e...

@weatherkos.bsky.social
@miamirosenstiel.bsky.social

Completely forgot to BlueSky it, but I’m at #AGU24 and would love to meet folks! If you’re hanging around til late week, I have a poster on Friday 🤓

😂

📝 is this how you got so popular so fast 😂

I think I have a very limited understanding of how networking on blue sky works, outside of simple follows lol—apparently there are lists or communities you can join? And if so, how do I do it?!?

Signed — an ignorant millennial

When Hurricane Season's End Doesn't Mean It's Over | Weather.com They're usually not a big concern, but, yes, they can happen in winter. Here's where and why. - Articles from The Weather Channel | weather.com

We don't see anything on the horizon right now, but did you know sometimes the Atlantic hurricane season doesn't "end" immediately after November 30?

Mean monthly land surface temperature (red) vs average monthly air temperature (black) 2013-2022

As such, I’m now curious about very hot May days being the result of peak land surface temperatures alongside increased solar radiation, in addition to higher air temps & humidity 😵‍💫

Daytime land surface temperature and its limits as a proxy for surface air temperature in a subtropical, seasonally wet region Land surface temperatures (LSTs) captured via satellite remote sensing are widely used as a proxy for the surface air temperatures (SATs) experienced outdoors, a key component of human heat exposure. ...

Shameless but relevant plug for a paper I published in May—we found that land surface temperatures peak in Miami during 🚨May🚨 & June, correlating with increased solar radiation at the surface…

journals.plos.org/climate/arti...

This is anecdotal, so the data may actually not support it—but if there is a time this year where I felt most unbearably hot, it was in May believe it or not, in line with this below finding!

So how have groups like #MDPI and #Frontiers accomplished this incredible growth?

"Dear prof. ___, we read your manuscript and were thoroughly aroused. We invite a preeminent like you to submit to our special issue on TOPICYOUDONTSTUDY."

These issues are not so special...

🧵 4/n

Looks like videos aren’t a thing on here just yet—but still fascinated with last week’s gulf low, which seems to be the southeast’s version of a nor’easter at this point. Incredible rainfall

Children stand in front of tents. Headline reads, “The world’s richest 1% pollute more than the poorest two-thirds.”

The world’s richest 1 percent generated as much carbon emissions as the poorest two-thirds in 2019, according to a new Oxfam report that examines the uber-wealthy’s lavish lifestyles and investments in heavily polluting industries.

wapo.st/49Ke8W3