Atlanta is hot.

And it’s so hot that NASA wants to spend more than $1.2 million to find out why.

Chor-Pang Lo, a University geography professor, is analyzing satellite images he’s gathered since 1973 to determine the causes of the ‘urban heat island’ phenomenon — when temperatures between cities and surrounding rural areas are different.

Lo gathers various satellite images, digitizes them into a Geographic Information Systems database and presents NASA with detailed maps of how Atlanta has changed during the past 27 years. The maps show how urbanization has drastically changed the landscape, which Lo said contributes to a rise in temperature — sometimes as much as 10 degrees compared to Atlanta’s suburbs.

He said the urban heat island effect is a problem because it increases local ozone levels, which is a factor in bad air quality.

‘It’s a serious health problem,’ Lo said. ‘In fact, Atlanta has exceeded the EPA’s regulations on acceptable ozone.’

As well as causing breathing problems, he said increased temperatures cause more thunderstorms and increased energy consumption for air conditioning, which further depletes the United States’ resources.

Lo’s data shows a 47 percent increase in residential development and a 16 percent increase in commercial development in the past 10 years.

As urban sprawl increases and forests decrease, Lo said ultimately, pollution will increase.

He said more than 250,000 acres of forest land in Atlanta are lost every year and on average, 50 acres a day are cut down.

Maury Estes, urban and environmental planner for Universities Space Research Association, worked with Lo on the project and is a contractor for NASA. He said NASA has launched many satellites to study the Earth’s environment.

‘NASA is interested in using remote sensing technology to look back at the Earth to see the environmental changes,’ Estes said. ‘We’re trying to better understand these energy balances.’

He said Lo’s research shows how increased temperatures and urbanization affects the environment.

As much as a 1 degree difference can adversely influence air quality, he said.

Lo said although population growth and urbanization are certain, there are several measures people can take to limit increased temperatures.

First, he said urban sprawl must be slowed down through self-contained communities.

‘Sprawl in Atlanta is inevitable because people don’t like high-density living,’ Lo said. ‘People want big homes and lawns.’

Second, he said trees must be planted when others are destroyed. He said that planting grass and a tree can lower the temperature by as much as 20 degrees in the shade.

The final step is to use light-colored material that reflects heat, he said.

Lo is expanding his project to Houston and is receiving an additional $56,000 for one more year of research.