In a California farming region, researchers are mapping rural heat to protect farmworkers

By DORANY PINEDA and JAE C HONG Associated Press In the summers the sky is jet black when Raul Cruz arrives at this Imperial Valley sugarcane field to start his day He chops cleans and bundles the crop taking heed as the sun rises It s hard work but so is starting at a m even though he knows it s the safest thing when temperatures in this California desert frequently soar into the triple digits We just have to because we need to beat the heat stated Cruz who s worked here for years They finish work by or a m to avoid the menace of heat stroke he added but when heat starts creeping up around a m mentally it s stressful The hot circumstances that makes this Southern California region a farming powerhouse is also what makes it dangerous for farmworkers who are increasingly vulnerable to rising temperatures due to greenhouse gas emissions from burning coal oil and natural gas Researchers from San Diego State University are working to understand the healthcare consequences of heat stress on farmworkers and where heat is greater part extreme in this rural landscape They hope their findings can lead to a better understanding of rural heat islands identify gaps in research and help develop interventions that better protect them in the face of state change Workers could potentially be dying or having several serious issues commented project leader Nicolas Lopez-Galvez assistant professor in the School of Constituents Strength at SDSU It s better to start acting sooner Manuel Gallegos works in a sugarcane field in Niland Calif Thursday Sept AP Photo Jae C Hong Research assistant Briana Toji straps a wearable heat-stress monitor on farmworker Hipolito Hernandez in a sugarcane field in Niland Calif Thursday Sept AP Photo Jae C Hong With a wearable heat-stress monitor strapped to his arm farmworker Cristino Romero bundles sugarcane in Niland Calif Thursday Sept AP Photo Jae C Hong Research assistants Brandon Toji right and Michelle Solorio watch as Raul Cruz foreground chops sugarcane in Niland Calif Thursday Sept AP Photo Jae C Hong Petrona Romero right drinks an electrolyte beverage while working alongside her husband Cristino in a sugarcane field in Niland Calif Thursday Sept AP Photo Jae C Hong An environmental monitor is placed in a sugarcane field to collect environmental information in Niland Calif Thursday Sept AP Photo Jae C Hong Leonardo Hernandez wipes sweat from his face in the shade while working in a sugarcane field in Niland Calif Thursday Sept AP Photo Jae C Hong Manuel Gallegos left Hipolito Hernandez work in a sugarcane field in Niland Calif Thursday Sept AP Photo Jae C Hong Farmworker Leonardo Hernandez pauses under the sun while chopping sugarcane in Niland Calif Thursday Sept AP Photo Jae C Hong Farmworkers Hipolito Hernandez from left Leonardo Hernandez and Manuel Gallegos hydrate at sunrise before starting their day in a sugarcane field in Niland Calif Thursday Sept AP Photo Jae C Hong Farmworker Raul Cruz collects environmental monitors at the end of the day in a sugarcane field in Niland Calif Thursday Sept AP Photo Jae C Hong Manuel Gallegos carries a cooler and a large umbrella while leaving a sugarcane field in Niland Calif Thursday Sept AP Photo Jae C Hong Researchers arrive at a sugarcane field at dawn to collect environmental records in Niland Calif Thursday Sept AP Photo Jae C Hong Show Caption of Manuel Gallegos works in a sugarcane field in Niland Calif Thursday Sept AP Photo Jae C Hong Expand Mapping rural heat understanding heat stress Since the start of the th century California temperatures have increased almost F about C according to state and federal records Warming has accelerated and seven of the state s last eight years through were the warmest on record While all areas of the state have warmed Southern California is heating up about twice as fast as Northern California Ana Solorio an organizer with the farmworker advocacy group L deres Campesinas that is working with researchers remembered feeling suffocated in the Coachella Valley summer heat when she was a farmworker With the humidity it felt awful mentioned Solorio who s lived in the Imperial Valley for more than years The heat was so intense she didn t return for another season preferring instead the cooler winter harvesting months of lettuce in the Imperial Valley This heat can cause a lot of harm to their fitness she revealed Researchers are trying to understand how farmworkers heat stress might vary depending on the crops the season and the number of breaks they take Over the past two years they ve collected year-round details from a few farmworkers Body sensors measure things like core body temperature and heart rate while they work Elsewhere in the fields environmental monitors measure the day s temperature humidity wind speed sun angle and cloud cover also known as the wet-bulb globe temperature considered the best metric to understanding heat stress Using satellite imagery along with historical and current wet-bulb globe temperature facts researchers are mapping areas of extreme heat particularly in the Imperial and Coachella valleys Researchers are learning that ground level crops can expose workers to higher heat levels compared to tree crops for example but it also depends on their harvesting months In the summers farmworkers who prepare fields for planting or help maintain irrigation systems are also more exposed Rural heat can vary based on things like tree cover proximity to a body of water and empty fields which may be hotter It creates this island where people might be living or working that are higher in terms of heat stress compared to other places commented Lopez-Galvez Extreme heat in major agricultural regions Bordered by the Colorado River to the east the Salton Sea to the northwest and Mexico to the south the Imperial Valley is home to hundreds of thousands of acres of farmland and produces billions of dollars in agricultural production It grows two-thirds of winter vegetables consumed nationally and provides thousands of jobs From to alone about migrant and seasonal farmworkers were employed in Imperial County according to the state It s also extremely hot In a given year there are about days with temperatures over F C often exceeding F C in August and early September according to calculations by Sagar Parajuli research scientist and adjunct faculty with SDSU s geography department The county has one of the largest Latino populations and the highest number of heat-related illnesses among workers than anywhere else in the state What researchers hope their work can do Several of their input analysis has already been published One scrutiny exposed that irrigating crop fields in the Imperial Valley reduced the wet-bulb globe temperature on summer days thanks to the cooling effect of evaporating water But on summer nights the opposite occurred irrigation increased the wet-bulb globe temperature as humidity spiked Irrigation also heightened heat in nearby urban and fallow areas adjacent to crop fields due to moisture conveyance It is a concern because an elevated nighttime temperature restricts the ability of farmworkers to cool down revealed Parajuli the research s lead author So they can t recover from the heat stress they could be accumulating from the daytime Related Articles Lacking district resilience centers Houston neighbors opt for solar-powered hub homes As heat gets more extreme pregnant farmworkers are increasingly at exposure What Americans think about the environmental impact of AI according to a new poll UN chief defends science and weather forecasting as Trump threatens both AI can help the context even though it uses tremendous vigor Here are solutions how Through this research the authors were able to recommend how frequently farmworkers should take rest breaks to protect themselves from heat stress based on how often wet-bulb globe temperatures exceed safety thresholds across seasons and work shifts While California has heat rules they re not strictly enforced he added We realized that farmworkers are not getting enough rest breaks and also there are no clear approach guidelines in terms of heat-related rest breaks he commented Lopez-Galvez declared they plan to continue their research in California s Central Valley and hope to expand it into Yuma Ariz and other parts of the Southwest The Associated Press receives promotion from the Walton Family Foundation for coverage of water and environmental guidelines The AP is solely responsible for all content For all of AP s environmental coverage visit https apnews com hub climate-and-environment