Tracking the impact of the land cover change on the spatial-temporal distribution of the thermal comfort: Insights from the Qinhuai River Basin, China

Abstract

China's rapid economic growth and urbanization have caused significant Land Cover Changes (LCC), worsened the Urban Heat Island (UHI) effect and reducing the Thermal Comfort (TC). Despite existing studies, there remains a gap in understanding the specific contributions of various LCC types to the TC, particularly in Qinhuai River Basin. This study addresses this gap by examining the LCC effects from 2013 to 2022 based on targeted metrics. We propose a novel TC classification model and introduce indices, including the Land Cover Contribution Index (LCI) and the Land Cover Classification Contribution Index (LCCI), to quantify the influence of different LCC types on the TC. Our findings reveal that farmland and woodland positively impact the TC, while the negative influence of impervious surfaces has intensified. The area of farmland in the most comfortable category has shown significant variability, while impermeable surfaces in uncomfortable and very uncomfortable categories have surged. Additionally, the Urban Water Body Contribution Index (U-WCI) consistently exceeded the Non-Urban Water Body Contribution Index (N-WCI), indicating an enhanced UHI effect within urban areas. This study concludes that changes in farmland and impervious surfaces are crucial for the TC and provides practical recommendations for land use planning against climate change.