Use of remote sensing and geographical information systems to estimate green space surface-temperature change as a result of urban expansion

Abstract

A combined approach of remote sensing (RS) and geographical information systems (GIS) was used in this study to identify the impact on urban surface radiant temperature (SRT) of urban green-space change. Urban SRT increases as green-space area is converted into non-green-space area. Also, well preserved green space and newly connected green space contribute to a decrease of the SRT. Seoul Metropolitan area is rapidly expanding. Existing urban SRT studies have, however, mainly been conducted for Seoul City. The most rapidly expanding area in Korea is now the Seoul suburban area, for example the Mt Gwanggyo area. Although changes of SRT and normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) as a result of land-use change have been measured in many other studies, the results in these studies were derived from data from different seasons. Also, these studies did not examine a newly expanding area. Considering these problems, the same seasonal multitemporal data were used in this study to derive the SRT change for the same season in different years. This study confirmed the importance of effective management and location of urban green space for urban SRT mitigation. Ultimately, the impact on urban SRT of urban green-space change should be regarded as an important factor in urban planning.