The suitability of the urban local climate zone classification scheme for surface temperature studies in distinct macroclimate regions

Abstract

The Local Climate Zone (LCZ) classification scheme, initially designed to distinguish between standard built (urban) and non-built (land cover) types in terms of screen-level air temperature relevant for urban heat island (UHI) studies, has been widely used for land surface temperature (LST) and surface urban heat island (SUHI) studies. However, some concerns remain about the global suitability of the scheme for LST and SUHI studies in different macroclimate regions. By analyzing and comparing a large number of representative LCZ sites and multi-year remotely-sensed LST data, the aim of this work is twofold. Firstly, to study the suitability of the LCZ scheme, with a focus on the built types, for surface temperature studies in four distinct macroclimate regions, namely, the tropical, the arid, the temperate and the cold. Secondly, to understand the influence of the macroclimate region on the LST and SUHI characteristics of the standard LCZ built types. Results show that the urban LCZ standard scheme is applicable, with varying degrees, to all macroclimate regions other than the arid, where a LCZ subclassification might be essential. Also, it has been demonstrated that most LCZ built types exhibit significantly different LST and SUHI characteristics across the remaining macroclimate regions.