With support from NASA, ASU Senior Sustainability Scientist Soe Myint is leading an interdisciplinary study to further understand the impacts of urban infrastructure and vegetation on local and regional climate. Using diverse analytical techniques like remote sensing and numerical modeling, Myint's team is monitoring climate in five urban areas: Las Vegas; Beer Sheva, Israel; Jodhpur, India; Kharga, Egypt; and Hotan/Hetian, China.

As part of a series that showcases the interdisciplinary studies it sponsors, NASA has invited Myint to present a live webinar describing his team’s investigation. Projects selected for the webinar series deal with interactions among components of the Earth system and promote research in emerging science areas like those identified in the Strategic Plan of the U.S. Climate Change Science Program. The knowledge that Myint's team acquires will serve to support adaptive management and foster the development of sustainable desert cities.