Abstract
In this study, we assess the urban heat island (UHI) effect using remote sensing data, a phenomenon emerging under the background of global warming and urbanization. With the rapid development of satellite technology, remote sensing images are widely applied to evaluate the UHI effect on rapidly-urbanized areas in recent years. In the study, we applied Landsat 8 data to estimate the land surface temperature (LST) in the case study of Shenzhen and Hong Kong. The methods of the mono-window algorithm (MWA), single-channel method (SCM), Qin’s split-window algorithm (SWA-Q) and Sobrino’s split-window algorithm (SWA-S) are used to calculate the LST from Landsat 8 data on 29 November 2013, 16 November 2014, 18 October 2015, and 7 February 2016. The results show that LST retrievals by SWA-Q are better than those of the other algorithms in the case study of Shenzhen and Hong Kong. From 2013 to 2016, the high-LST zones or UHIs in Shenzhen and Hong Kong are substantially identical. Although the LST is not obviously correlated with vegetation distribution, the growth condition of vegetation may impact the distribution of the UHI, and the high LST is slightly correlated to the high atmospheric particulate concentration. Additionally, in general, Shenzhen and Hong Kong are weak UHI regions and the UHI-affected area in Shenzhen is larger than that in Hong Kong from 2013 to 2016.
Highlights
The urban heat island (UHI) effect is a phenomenon that the land surface temperature in urban areas is apparently higher than that in rural areas [1]
The results show that land surface temperature (LST) retrievals by split-window algorithm (SWA)-Q are better than those of the other algorithms in the case study of Shenzhen and Hong Kong
According to the LST retrievals via mono-window algorithm (MWA), single-channel method (SCM), SWA-Q, and SWA-S, the further analysis, 4
Summary
The urban heat island (UHI) effect is a phenomenon that the land surface temperature in urban areas is apparently higher than that in rural areas [1]. The causes of UHI are diverse, including natural factors and human factors, whose root cause is the change of land use. The factors such as urban configuration, heat release from anthropogenic heat source, atmospheric pollution, geographic location, and climate affect the UHI [2]. With the development of urbanization, urban built-up areas, namely, impervious surfaces, including roads and buildings, instead of green lands and water bodies, are rapidly sprawling and, the city will suffer from the UHI effect [3].
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