Abstract
Urban heat islands (UHIs) are a worldwide phenomenon that have many ecological and social consequences. It has become increasingly important to examine the relationships between land surface temperatures (LSTs) and all related factors. This study analyses Landsat data, spatial metrics, and a geographically weighted regression (GWR) model for a case study of Hangzhou, China, to explore the correlation between LST and urban spatial patterns. The LST data were retrieved from Landsat images. Spatial metrics were used to quantify the urban spatial patterns. The effects of the urban spatial patterns on LSTs were further investigated using Pearson correlation analysis and a GWR model, both at three spatial scales. The results show that the LST patterns have changed significantly, which can be explained by the concurrent changes in urban spatial patterns. The correlation coefficients between the spatial metrics and LSTs decrease as the spatial scale increases. The GWR model performs better than an ordinary least squares analysis in exploring the relationship of LSTs and urban spatial patterns, which is indicated by the higher adjusted R2 values, lower corrected Akaike information criterion and reduced spatial autocorrelations. The GWR model results indicate that the effects of urban spatial patterns on LSTs are spatiotemporally variable. Moreover, their effects vary spatially with the use of different spatial scales. The findings of this study can aid in sustainable urban planning and the mitigation the UHI effect.
Highlights
As urbanization has occurred, the natural resource base, such as the lands used for agriculture, forests and wetlands, have been replaced by urban lands (Jantz et al 2004)
The results show that the land surface temperatures (LSTs) patterns have changed significantly, which can be explained by the concurrent changes in urban spatial patterns
The geographically weighted regression (GWR) model results indicate that the effects of urban spatial patterns on LSTs are spatiotemporally variable
Summary
The natural resource base, such as the lands used for agriculture, forests and wetlands, have been replaced by urban lands (Jantz et al 2004). Urban land covers a very small percentage of the world’s land surface in comparison with other land-cover types, their rapid expansion with continued urbanization has had marked effects on the environment and our socio-economy. One significant consequence of urbanization is the formulation of urban heat islands (UHIs), where the atmospheric and surface temperatures above and around densely built cities are higher than those in nearby rural areas (Voogt, Oke 2003). The UHI effect is often captured by land surface temperature (LST) measurements (Kikon et al 2016; Kumar, Shekhar 2015). LST is a key physical indicator of land surfaces directly influenced by urban land-cover changes and has implications for the research of urban climate change (Huang, Cadenasso 2016; Weng 2009). Historical, and precise information about the LST is a prerequisite for further analysis and sustainable development, as
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