Q: Why are the temperatures in the surrounding cities always lower than they are in the city of Atlanta?
-- Jim Rust, Atlanta
A: The urban heat island effect often makes Atlanta have a warmer low temperature in the morning than the surrounding areas. This is caused by urban areas with an abundance of buildings, concrete and asphalt, which absorb and retain more heat than less developed areas, Channel 2 Action News meteorologist Brad Nitz told Q&A on the News in an email. "There is also the addition of 'waste heat' from buildings and vehicles that is much greater and more concentrated in big cities," he wrote. "With calm or light wind, the air temperature can easily range as much as 10 degrees from the city to the suburbs." Nitz wrote that if there is a steady wind overnight, the atmosphere will be mixed, and the temperature difference will be lower or even eliminated.
Q: What do the authorities do with drug smuggling tunnels once they are discovered?
-- Dan Wilmarth, Marietta
A: The tunnels are inspected, secured and then guarded around the clock before the U.S. Border Patrol begins filling them with a "concretelike sludge that hardens to ensure that the cartels no longer have use of the tunnels," a Drug Enforcement Administration representative told Q&A on the News in an email.
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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