Anthony Brazel

abrazel@asu.edu
480-965-7533
COOR
5534
TEMPE

Professor Emeritus
Faculty
Mailcode

Senior Sustainability Scientist
Faculty
Mailcode

Professor Emeritus
Faculty
Mailcode

Biography

Anthony Brazel is a geographer and climatologist who has written more than 180 professional articles and reports on climate, focusing primarily at the local and regional scale. He is an emeritus professor of geography at Arizona State University (ASU). While at ASU he has served as Laboratory of Climatology director from 1979-1988, Arizona's governor-appointed State Climatologist from 1979-1999, Geography Departmental chair from 1991-1997, and manager of the Southwest Center for Environmental Research and Policy through the Center for Environmental Studies from 2001 to 2003.

Brazel is a former member of the Board of Urban Environments of the American Meteorological Society and Scholarship Committee of the International Association on Urban Climate. He is a fellow of American Association of the Advancement of Science and the Arizona-Nevada Academy of Science, and past editor of the Journal of the Arizona-Nevada Academy of Science. He served as co-program chair for the Eighth Symposium on the Urban Environment, American Meteorological Society Annual Meeting, 11-15 January 2009, Phoenix, Arizona. At ASU, he was an affiliate member of Sustainable Materials and Renewable Technologies Program (Julie Ann Wrigley Global Institute of Sustainability - EPA), member of the Climate Science Team of the Decision Center for a Desert City (NSF), and recent past Co-PI of the Central Arizona-Phoenix Long-Term Ecological Research Project (NSF).

Brazel has been recognized with the International Association of Urban Climate's Luke Howard Award, the American Meteorological Society's Helmut E. Landsberg Award, Lifetime Achievement Award of the Association of American Geographers' Climate Specialty Group, the Jeffrey Cook Prize in Desert Architecture from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Israel, and at ASU with Scholarly contributions awards from CAP-LTER.

CV

AnthonyBrazel.pdf

Education

  • Ph.D. Geography, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 1972
  • M.A. Geography, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ 1965
  • B.A. Mathematics, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ 1963

Research Interests

Physical geography and climatology, with applications to urban environments, regional climate change, applied climatology

Publications

  • Brazel, A., 2020. June temperature trends in the Southwest Deserts of the USA (1950-2018) and implications for our urban areas. Atmosphere. v. 11, 1-13.
  • Ruiz-Aviles, V., A. Brazel, J. Davis, D. Pijawka. 2020. Mitigation of urban heat island effects through "Green Infrastructure": integgrated design of constructed wetlands and neighborhood development. Urban Science. v. 4. 1-11.
  • Crank, P. J. A. Middel, M. Wagner, D. Hoots, M. Smith, A. Brazel. 2020. Validation of seasonal mean radiant temperature simulations in hot arid urban climates. Science of the Total Environment, v. 749, 1-13.
  • Heisler, G. M. and A. J. Brazel 2018 The Climate System Chp 6 in Urban Ecology (editor Myrna Hall).
  • Fan, C., S. W. Myint, S. Kaplan, A. Middel, B. Zheng, A. Rahman, H.-P. Huang, A. Brazel, and D. Blumberg 2017. Understanding the impact of urbanization on surface urban heat islands - a longitudinal analysis of the oasis effect in subtropical desert cities. Remote Sensing 9, 672 doi:10.3390/rs9070672
  • Kamarianakis, Y., X. Li,  B. L. Turner II, and A. J. Brazel 2017. On the effects of landscape configuration on summer diurnal temperatures in urban residential areas: application in Phoenix, AZ. Frontiers of Earth Science, doi.org/10.1007/s11707-017-0678-4.
  • 2016. Desert new urbanism: testing for comfort in downtown Tempe, Arizona, Journal of Urban Design, DOI:10.1080/13574809.2016.1187558.
  • X. Li, W. Li, A. Middel, S. L. Harlan, A. Brazel, and B.L. Turner 2016. Remote sensing of the surface urban heat island and land architecture in Phoenix, Arizona: combined effects of land composition and configuration and cadastral-demographic-economic factors. Remote Sensing of Environment, 174, 233-243.
  • Ruddell, D., A. Brazel, W. Chow and A. Middel. 2015. The urban heat island effect and sustainability science: Causes, impacts, and solutions. Pp. Chapter 13 In: Pijawka, D. ed., Sustainability in the 21st Century: Pathways, Programs, and Policies. Kendall Hunt Publishing Company.
  • Georgescu, M. W. Chow, Z. Wang, A. Brazel, B. Trapido-Lurie, M. Roth, V. Benson-Lira 2015. Prioritizing urban sustainability solutions: coordinated approaches must incorporate scale-dependent built environment induced effects. Environmental Research Letters (doi:10.1088/1748-9326/10/6/061001.
  • Myint, S. W., B. Zheng, E. Talen, C. Fan, S. Kaplan, A. Middel, M. Smith, H. Huang and A. J. Brazel. 2015. Does the spatial arrangement of urban landscape matter? Examples of urban warming and cooling in Phoenix and Las Vegas. Ecosystem Health and Sustainability1(4):Art. 15. DOI: 10.1890/EHS14-0028.1. (link)
  • Kaplan, S., S. W. Myint, C. Fan and A. J. Brazel. 2014. Quantifying outdoor water consumption of urban landuse/land cover: Sensitivity to drought. Environmental Management 53(4):855-864. DOI: 10.1007/s00267-014-0245-7. (link)
  • Middel, A., K. Häb, A. J. Brazel, C. A. Martin and S. Guhathakurta. 2014. Impact of urban form and design on mid-afternoon microclimate in Phoenix local climate zones. Landscape and Urban Planning 122:16-28. DOI: 10.1016/j.landurbplan.2013.11.004. (link)
  • Declet-Barreto, J., A. J. Brazel, C. A. Martin, W. T. Chow and S. L. Harlan. 2013. Creating the park cool island in an inner-city neighborhood: Heat mitigation strategy for Phoenix, AZ.. Urban Ecosystems 16(3):617-635. DOI: 10.1007/s11252-012-0278-8. (link)
  • Hartz, D. A., A. J. Brazel and J. S. Golden. 2013. A comparative climate analysis of heat-related emergency 911 dispatches: Chicago, Illinois and Phoenix, Arizona USA 2003 to 2006. International Journal of Biometeorology 57(5):669-678. DOI: 10.1007/s00484-012-0593-z. (link)
  • Myint, S. W., E. A. Wentz, A. J. Brazel and D. Quattrochi. 2013. The impact of distinct anthropogenic and vegetation features on urban warming. Landscape Ecology 28(5):959-978. DOI: 10.1007/s10980-013-9868-y.
  • Anthony J. Brazel, 2013. Scales of Climate in Designing with the Desert. In: Design With The Desert, Conservation and Sustainable Development (eds. R. Malloy, J. Brock, A. Floyd, M. Livingston, and R. H. Webb), CRC Press, pp. 59-72.
  • D. Ruddell, D. Hoffman, O. Ahmad, and A. Brazel. 2013. Historical threshold temperatures for Phoenix (urban) and Gila Bend (desert), central Arizona, USA. Climate Research, 55: 201-215.
  • Donna A. Hartz & Jay S. Golden & Chona Sister & Wen-Ching Chuang & Anthony J. Brazel. 2011. Climate and heat-related emergencies in Chicago, Illinois (2003–2006). International Journal Biometeorology, 56: 71–83.
  • Winston T. L. Chow & Ronald L. Pope & Chris A. Martin & Anthony J. Brazel. 2011. Observing and modeling the nocturnal park cool island of an arid city: horizontal and vertical impacts, Theoretical & Applied Climatology, 103: 197–211.
  • Ariane Middel, Anthony J. Brazel, Patricia Gober, Soe W. Myint, Heejun Chang, and Jiunn-Der Duh, 2012. Land cover, climate, and the summer surface energy balance in Phoenix, AZ and Portland, OR, International Journal of Climatology, 32: 2020-2032.
  • Ariane Middel, Anthony J. Brazel, Shai Kaplan, Soe W. Myint. 2012. Daytime cooling efficiency and diurnal energy balance in Phoenix, Arizona, USA, Climate Research, 54: 21–34.
  • Patricia Gober, Ariane Middel, Anthony Brazel, Soe Myint, Heejun Chang, Jiunn-Der Duh, and Lily House-Peters. 2012. Tradeoffs between water conservation and temperature amelioration in Phoenix and Portland: implications for urban sustainability, Urban Geography, 33: 1030-1054.
  • Winston T.L. Chow, and Anthony J. Brazel. 2012. Assessing xeriscaping as a sustainable heat island mitigation approach for a desert city, Building and Environment, 47: 170-181.
  • Winston T. L. Chow, Dean Brennan, and Anthony J. Brazel. 2012. Urban heat island research in Phoenix, Arizona – theoretical contributions and policy applications. Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society. 93(4): 517-529.
  • Darren Ruddell, Anthony Brazel, & Winston Chow. 2012. The urban heat island effect and sustainability science: causes, impacts, and solutions. In Understanding Sustainable Cities, Concepts, Cases, and Solutions (eds. K. D. Pijawka & M. A. Gromulat), Kendall Hunt Pub., pp 167-183.
  • Ariane Middel, Anthony Brazel, Bjoern Hagen & Soe Myint 2011. Land cover modification scenarios and their effects on daytime heating in the inner core residential neighborhoods of Phoenix, Arizona, Journal of Urban Technology, 18(4): 61-79.
  • Gober, P., A. J. Brazel, S. Myint, R. Quay, A. Miller, S. Rossi, and S. Grossman-Clarke. 2010. Using watered landscapes to manipulate urban heat island effects: how much water will it take to cool Phoenix? Journal of the American Planning Association. 76: 109-121.
  • Svoma, B. M. and A. Brazel, 2010. Urban effects on the diurnal temperature cycle in Phoenix, Arizona, Climate Research. 41(1): 21-29.
  • Heisler, G. M. and A. J. Brazel, 2010. The urban physical environment: temperature and urban heat islands, book chapter Urban Ecosystem Ecology (editor J. Aitkenhead-Peterson and A. Volder), Pub. Agronomy Society of America. pp 29-56.
  • Brazel, A. J., and G. M. Heisler. 2009. Climatology at Urban Long-Term Ecological Research Sites: Baltimore Ecosystem Study and Central Arizona-Phoenix. Geography Compass , 3(1): 22-44.
  • Brazel, A., P. Gober, S. J. Lee, S. Grossman-Clarke, J. Zehnder, B. Hedquist, and B. Comparri. 2007. Determinants of changes in the regional urban heat island (1990-2004) within Metropolitan Phoenix. Climate Research, 33: 171-182.
  • Harlan, S. H., Brazel, A.J., Prashad, L., Stefanov,W. L., and Larsen, L. 2006. Neighborhood microclimates and vulnerability to heat stress, Social Science and Medicine. 63: 2847-2863.
  • Hartz, D.A., Prashad, L., Hedquist, B., Golden, J., and Brazel, A.J. 2006. Linking satellite images and hand-held infrared thermography to observed neighborhood climate conditions, Remote Sensing of the Environment. 104: 190-200.
  • Hartz, D. A. and A. J. Brazel. 2006. The impact of the urban heat island on frosts and freezes in Phoenix, Arizona. Pp. 594-597 Preprints, 6th International Conference on Urban Climate.
  • Baker, L. A., A. J. Brazel and P. K. Westerhoff. 2004. Environmental consequences of rapid urbanization in warm, arid lands: case study of Phoenix, Arizona (USA). The Sustainable City III. WIT Press.
  • Brazel, A. J. and A. W. Ellis. 2003. The climate of central Arizona and Phoenix Long-Term Ecological Research site (CAP LTER) and links to ENSO. In: Greenland, D., D. Goodwin and R. C. Smith eds., Climate Variability and Ecosystem Response at Long-term Ecological Research Sites. Oxford University Press.

Research Activity

Courses

Spring 2018
Course Number Course Title
GPH 690 Reading and Conference
Fall 2017
Course Number Course Title
EPD 790 Reading and Conference

Presentations

  • Anthony Brazel. Panel on urban climate change. AAG Annual Meeting (Apr 2010).
  • Anthony Brazel. Urban Climate. The Impact of Climate Change on Urban Infrastructure (Oct 2009).
  • A. Brazel, K Crewe and A. Middel. Trade-offs between water and heat in Phoenix, AZ: toward a more climatically sustainable city. 32nd Annual Conference Applied Geography (Oct 2009).
  • Anthony Brazel. Sustainability and Urban Climate. Visiting Geographical Scientist Program talks (Oct 2009).
  • multi-. Planning Integrated research for decision support for climate adaptation and water management: a focus on desert and coastal cities. NOAA sponsored workshop/conference (Jan 2009).
  • Anthony Brazel. urban climatology research. National Science Foundation DCDC review visit (Sep 2008).
  • Anthony Brazel. Benefits to Society of Urban Climate Research. Annual Meeting Association of American Geographers (Apr 2008).
  • A. Brazel. Enhancing the Connectivity between research and applications for the benefit of society - Board on the Urban Environment. American Meteorological Society national meeting Plenary Session (Jan 2008).
  • Brazel, Anthony, Golden, J. Urban heat island mitigation in Phoenix, AZ. Pacific Coast Geographers (Oct 2005).
  • Brazel, Anthony. A tribute to Samuel Outcalt. Association of American Geographers (Apr 2005).
  • Brazel, Anthony, Hartz, D, Heisler, G. A Case Studfy of Resort Climatology of Pheonix, Arizona. 5th Symposium of Urban Environments, American Meteorological Society (Sep 2004).
  • Beeson, C, Blumberg, D, Brazel, Anthony, Shashua-Bar, L. Combined methods of thermal remote sensing and mobile climate transects in Beer Sheva, Israel. Workshop on Applied Urban Remote Sensing (Apr 2004).
  • Brazel, Anthony. ICUC-6 proposal presentation. 5th International Conference on Urban Climate (Sep 2003).
  • Brazel, Anthony. Interdisciplinary Studies and Atmospheric Research at Arizona State University. NASA Colloquium, Huntsville, Ala. Dec 2004
  • Brazel, Anthony. Heat Islands and global change. National Council on Geographic Education
  • Brazel, Anthony. Phoenix Heat Islands. Association of American Geographers
  • Brazel, Anthony. The role of humans in microclimate. Ecological Society of America

Honors/Awards

  • The Jeffrey Cook Prize in Desert Architecture 2017 for lifetime contribution to the understanding of urban climates in arid regions from the Jeffrey Cook Charitable Trust, Desert Architecture & Urban Planning, J. Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Sede-Boqe, Israel.r
  • Central Arizona Phoenix Long Term Ecological Research Award, 2015, for scholarly contribution to urban socioecological research through ASU's Julie Ann Wrigley Global Institute of Sustainability
  • Luke Howard Award, 2015, The International Association of Urban Climate for outstanding contributions to the field of urban climatology in a combination of research, teaching and/or service to the international community of urban climatologists.  
  • Helmut E. Landsberg Award, 2013, American Meteorological Society, for fundamental contributions to urban climatology, especially those related to understanding heat islands in desert environments
  • Lifetime Achievement Award, 2010, Climate Specialty Group, Association of American Geographers
  • Isaac Manasseh Meyer Fellowship Award, 2010, National University of Singapore
  • Anthony J Brazel Research Award 2007 (scholarship award named after AJ Brazel).
  • Fellow, American Association for the Advancement of Science, 1997
  • Fellow, The Explorers Club, 1987
  • Fellow, Arizona-Nevada Academy of Science, 1983

Service

  • Former member, Scholarship Committee, International Association for Urban Climatology; Scientific Freedom and Responsibility Committee, Association of American Geographers; editorial board Annals AAG;
  • Former member, Board of the Urban Environment, American Meteorological Society
    Local Arrangements Committee American Meteorological Society Urban Symposium, January 2009, University Corporation for Atmospheric Research - NCAR, ASU Representative to Member's National Meeting, Arizona Nevada Academy of Science, Editor (2008 - 2011), Associate Director SGSUP, Associate Director (2006-2007)
  • University of Western Ontario, CA Department of Geography, one of two outside program reviewers (2008 - Present)
  • Arizona Nevada Academy of Science, editor (2009 - 2011)
  • Associate Director SGSUP, Associate Director (2006 - 2007)
  • 8th Symposuim of the Board on the Urban Environment, co-organizer National Symposium at National AMS meeting (2008 - 2009)
  • International Association on Urban Climate, Scholarship Committee (2005 - 2008)
  • American Meteorological Society's Board on Urban Environments, Board member (2002 - 2008)
  • CAP2 LTER NSF Proposal preparation, Section Leader (2004 - 2005)
  • IGERT Urban Ecology, Active faculty member (2004 - 2005)
  • National climate , Long-Term Ecological Research - NSF, Member representative (2003 - 2005)
  • Arctic Consortium of the United States-NSF, ASU representative (2003 - 2004)
  • Center for Environmental Studies, Board member (2003 - 2004)
  • Membership committee, University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), Member (2003 - 2004)
  • Arizona-Nevada Academy of Science as Fellow of AAAS, American Association for the Advancement of Science, Representative (2003)
  • CAP LTER executive Committee, Member (2003)
  • Climate committee, Consortium for the Study of Rapidly Urbanizing Regions, Co-director (2003)
  • Southwest Center for Environmental Research & Policy-EPA, Director (2003)
  • Board of Center for Environmental Studies, Member (2002 - 2002)
  • University Corporation for Atmospheric Research, Membership Committee, ASU, Member (2000 - 2000)
  • Urban Environments Board from Aerobiology & Biometeorology, Representative (2000 - 2000)
  • Board of Aerobiology and Biometeorology, Member (1999 - 2000)
  • Department of geography, Ben Gurion University, University of Indiana Geography Program, Reviewer (2000 - 2000)
  • PhD Program in Climatology, University of Delaware, Reviewer (2000 - 2000)
  • State Climatologist for Arizona, governor-appointed, 1979-1999.

Expertise Areas