Q: Can you tell me the reason our government used to build such a large embassy in Iraq?
Richard Morris, Newnan
A: The U.S. State Department spokesman defended the size of the U.S. embassy in Iraq by telling msnbc.com that the U.S. is making "a fairly sizable commitment to Iraq … for several years." Patrick Kennedy, the undersecretary of management for the State Department, told NPR.org: "The U.S.-Iraq relationship is incredibly important. This is a democracy in the Middle East. … this is a major oil producer, a friend of the United States, a potential market for American goods and now, I think, a very important symbol in the Middle East of what democracy in the Middle East could be." At 104 acres, the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad is 10 times larger than any other U.S. embassy in the world. About 16,000 people, including 5,000-6,000 independent contractors, work for the State Department in Iraq.
Q: A few weeks ago Channel 2 Action News meteorologist Brad Nitz wrote the reason Atlanta had higher low temperatures than surrounding communities was due to the urban heat island effect. Could temperature measurements from large cities around the world contribute to higher global temperatures?
Jim Rust, Atlanta
A: The urban heat island effect is a microclimate phenomenon, Nitz told Q&A on the News in an email. "The higher morning temperatures often found in large cities are seen over a relatively small area and wouldn't contribute much to global temperatures," he said.
Andy Johnston wrote this column. Do you have a question about the news? We’ll try to get the answer. Call 404-222-2002 or email q&a@ajc.com (include name, phone and city).
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