Exploring the impacts of greenspace spatial patterns on land surface temperature across different urban functional zones: A case study in Wuhan metropolitan area, China

Abstract

Urban greenspace has been proven to play a significant role in mitigating the urban heat island (UHI) effect, and many studies have provided a strong back for such a cooling effect by exploring the relationship between land surface temperature (LST) and greenspace spatial patterns. However, the specific effect may be affected by the local environment, including landscape features and human activities, which are mostly related to urban functional zones (UFZs). Therefore, in this study, we aimed to investigate the diversified cooling effects of greenspace among UFZs, using Wuhan metropolitan area in China as a case study. The effect of greenspace spatial patterns on LST and the relative contributions of factors were calculated using multivariate stepwise linear regression and variance partitioning, and the threshold of the dominant influencing factor was identified by piecewise linear regression. Results revealed that: (1) Greenspace composition and configuration both affected LST, and their cooling effects varied across UFZs. (2) The major influencing factors of LST variation were different among UFZs, while the percentage of greenspace was consistently the dominant factor. (3) The practical thresholds of the percentage of greenspace for a remarkable decrease in LST variation existed in corresponding UFZs except for the industrial zone, and the thresholds differed from UFZ type to UFZ type. This study quantified the impacts of greenspace spatial patterns on LST and disclosed the difference in such impacts among different types of UFZ, which extended the understanding of UHI mitigation and further facilitated urban planners to propose targeted and effective management strategies and measures to improve the urban thermal environment.