Cyclists aid research into Sonian Forest’s cooling effect

This summer, 20 cyclists will cross the Sonian Forest to collect data relating to the forest’s cooling effects on the surrounding urban areas.

The "Climate Trappers" project was launched on 3 June at the new bicycle bridge at the Quatre-Bras intersection near Tervuren.

Julie Blanjean, project manager at the Brabant Forests National Park, explained that the volunteers’ bicycles are equipped with sensors and “to map the microclimate in and around the forest, we measure the air temperature, humidity, wind speed and radiation at about one metre above the ground”.

Data collected by these "citizen scientists" will be combined with information from fixed sensors in local residents’ gardens.

“In this way, we want to find out how far the cooling effect of the forests extends, and to what extent this effect is enhanced by green urban design,” Blanjean added.

The study carried out by Ghent University researchers can be used in future scenarios, she added: “For example, the information we collect now about how the forest affects its ambient temperature can be used later on to improve the liveability of urban environments during heat waves,” she says.

The Sonian Forest is part of the Nationaal Park Brabantse Wouden, which provide more than 10,000 hectares of nature between Halle, Leuven and Ottignies-Louvain-la-Neuve.