Analysis of urban heat island characteristics and mitigation strategies for eight arid and semi-arid gulf region cities

Ammar Abulibdeh

doi:10.1007/s12665-021-09540-7

Abstract

The aim of the study is, therefore, to analyze the formation of the UHIs in eight different cities in arid and semi-arid regions. The analysis is based on land cover (LC) classification (urban, green, and bare areas). The study found that bare areas had the highest mean LST values compared to the urban and green areas. The results show that the difference in temperatures between the bare areas and the urban areas ranges between 1 and 2 °C, between the bare areas and green areas ranges between 1 and 7 °C, and between the urban areas and green areas ranges between 1 and 5 °C. Furthermore, the LST values varied for each of the LULC categories, and hence some areas in the three categories had lower or higher LST values than in other categories. Hence, one category may not always have the highest LST value compared to other categories. The outcomes of this study may, therefore, have critical implications for urban planners who seek to mitigate UHI effects in arid and semi-arid urban areas.

Highlights

Rapid urban sprawl typically results in the conversion of open spaces, such as natural land cover consisting of soil and vegetation, into artificial surfaces, which consist of concrete, asphalt, and other impervious surfaces
Green areas had the lowest mean land surface temperature (LST), followed by urban areas, while the bare areas had the highest mean LST values (Table 6), which highlights the influence of land cover (LC) on LST values
This study has analyzed the formation of the Urban Heat Islands (UHI) in eight different cities in arid and semi-arid regions using satelliate images Landsat-5 and Landsat-8 Operational Land Imager (OLI) data

Summary

Introduction

Rapid urban sprawl typically results in the conversion of open spaces, such as natural land cover consisting of soil and vegetation, into artificial surfaces, which consist of concrete, asphalt, and other impervious surfaces. This process inevitably results in changes in the absorption and reflection of solar radiation and the balance of surface energy. It results in contrast changes to the urban-surroundings/ urban–rural environment, in terms of surface radiance and air temperature This difference in ambient air temperature between the urban-surroundings/urban–rural areas results in a phenomenon known as Urban Heat Islands (UHI) (Aflaki et al 2017; Mohajerani et al 2017; Zhao et al 2016; Santamouris 2015). This energy is captured by UHIs during the day and is diffused at night (Oke 1982)

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Conclusion