Satellite Based Analysis of Surface Urban Heat Island Intensity

Main Article Content

Orsolya Gémes
Zalán Tobak
Boudewijn van Leeuwen

Abstract

The most obvious characteristics of urban climate are higher air and surface temperatures compared to rural areas and large spatial variation of meteorological parameters within the city. This research examines the long term and seasonal development of urban surface temperature using satellite data during a period of 30 years and within a year. The medium resolution Landsat data were (pre)processed using open source tools. Besides the analysis of the long term and seasonal changes in land surface temperature within a city, also its relationship with changes in the vegetation cover was investigated. Different urban districts and local climate zones showed varying strength of correlation. The temperature difference between urban surfaces and surroundings is defined as surface urban heat island (SUHI). Its development shows remarkable seasonal and spatial anomalies. The satellite images can be applied to visualize and analyze the SUHI, although they were not collected at midday and early afternoon, when the phenomenon is normally at its maximum. The applied methodology is based on free data and software and requires minimal user interaction. Using the results new urban developments (new built up and green areas) can be planned, that help mitigate the negative effects of urban climate.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Article Details

How to Cite
Gémes, Orsolya, Zalán Tobak, and Boudewijn van Leeuwen. 2016. “Satellite Based Analysis of Surface Urban Heat Island Intensity”. Journal of Environmental Geography 9 (1-2):23-30. https://doi.org/10.1515/jengeo-2016-0004.
Section
Articles

References

Chavez, P.S. 1996. Image-Based Atmospheric Corrections. Revisited and Improved Photogrammetric Engineering and Remote Sensing 62, 1025-1036.

Gábor P., Jombach S. 2009. The relation between biological activity and the land surface temerature in Budapest. Applied Ecology and Environmental Research 7, 241-251. DOI: 10.15666/aeer/0703_24125110.15666/aeer/0703_241251

Kruse, F. A., Lefkoff, A.B., Boardman, J.B., Heidebrecht, K.B., Shapiro, A.T., Barloon, P.J., Goetz, A.F.H. 1993. The Spectral Image Processing System (SIPS) - Interactive Visualization and Analysis of Imaging spectrometer Data. Remote Sensing of Environment 44, 145-163. DOI: 10.1016/0034-4257(93)90013-n 10.1016/0034-4257(93)90013-N

KSH 2015. Magyarország településhálózata 2. Városok-falvak.(The Hungarian settlement system 2 - Cities and villages) Central Statistical Office, Budapest, 88 p. (In Hungarian)

Landsberg, H.E. 1981. The urban climate. The Academic Press, London, New York, 196 p.

Lelovics E., Unger J., Gál T. 2014. Designing of an urban monitoring network, based on Local Climate Zone Mapping and temperature mapping modelling. Climate Researches 60, 51-62. DOI: 10.3354/cr0122010.3354/cr01220

Mallick, J., Singh, C.K., Shashtri, S., Rahman, A., Mukherjee, S. 2012. Land surface emissivity retrieval based on moisture index from LANDSAT TM satellite data over heterogeneous surfaces of Delhi city. International Journal of Applied Earth Observation and Geoinformation 19, 348-358. DOI: 10.1016/j.jag.2012.06.00210.1016/j.jag.2012.06.002

Moran, M., Jackson, R., Slater, P., Teillet, P. 1992. Evaluation of simplified procedures for retrieval of land surface reflectance factors from satellite sensor output. Remote Sensing of Environment 41, 169-184. DOI: 10.1016/0034-4257(92)90076-v 10.1016/0034-4257(92)90076-V

Nichol, J. 2005. Remote sensing of urban heat island by day and night. Photogrametric Engineering & Remote Sensing 71, 613-621. DOI: 10.14358/pers.71.5.61310.14358/PERS.71.5.613

OGIMET 2016. http://www.ogimet.com/gsynres.phtml.en

Oke, T.R. 1976. The distinction between canopy and boundary layer urban heat islands. Atmosphere 14, 268-277.

Oke, T.R. 1988. Street design and urban canopy layer climate. Energy and Buildings 11, 103-113. DOI: 10.1016/0378-7788(88)90026-610.1016/0378-7788(88)90026-6

OMSZ (Hungarian Meteorological Service) 2016. http://met.hu/eghajlat/

Péczely Gy. 1979. Éghajlattan (Climatology). Nemzeti Tankönyvkiadó, Budapest, 324 p. (In Hungarian)

Probáld F. 1974. Budapest városklímája (Urban climate of Budapest). Akadémiai Kiadó. Budapest, 126 p. (In Hungarian)

Purnhauser P. 2001. A városi hőszigetet és a városi szerkezet összefüggéseinek feltárása terepi és térinformatikai módszerekkel Szegeden. (Assessment of the relationship between urban heat island and city structure using field data and remote sensing). University of Szeged, Department of Climatology and Landscape Ecology, Szeged, 65 p. (In Hungarian)

Roth, M., Oke, T.R., Emery, W.J. 1989. Satellite-derived urban heat islands from three coastal cities and the utilization of such data in urban climatology. International Journal of Remote Sensing 10, 1699-1720. DOI: 10.1080/0143116890890400210.1080/01431168908904002

Sobrino, J., Jiménez-Muñoz, J.C., Paolini, L. 2004. Land surface temperature retrieval from LANDSAT TM 5. Remote Sensing of Environment 90, 434-440. DOI: 10.1016/j.rse.2004.02.00310.1016/j.rse.2004.02.003

Soósné, D.Zs. 2009. A magyarországi és közép- európai nagyvárosokban kialakuló városi hősziget vizsgálata finom felbontású műholdképek (Analysis of urban heat islad effect in Hungarian and Central European cities using high-resolution satellite imagery). PhD Theses. ELTE Department of Meteorology, Budapest, 112 p. (In Hungarian)

Stewart, I.D., Oke, T.R. 2012. Local climate zones for urban temperature studies. Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society 93 (12), 1879-1900. DOI: 10.1175/bams-d-11-00019.110.1175/BAMS-D-11-00019.1

Unger J. 1996. Városklimatológia - Szeged városklímája (Urban climatology - Urban climate in Szeged). Acta Climatologica et Chorologica Univ Szegediensis 31B (Urban climate special issue), 69 p. (in Hungarian)

Unger, J. 2010a. A városi hősziget-jelenség néhány aspektusa (Some aspects of urban heat island phenomenon). Doctoral Thesis, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Szeged, 107 p.

Unger J., Gál T., Rakonczai J., Mucsi L., Szatmári J., Tobak Z., van Leeuwen B., Fiala K. 2010b. Modeling of the urban heat island pattern based on the relationship between surface and air temperatures. Időjárás / Quarterly Journal of the Hungarian Meteorological Service 114, 287-302.

USGS Landsat 8, https://landsat.usgs.gov/Landsat8_Using_Product.php [05.20.2016]

Weng, Q., Lu, D., Schubring, J. 2004. Estimation of land surface temperature-vegetation abundance relationship for urban heat island studies. Remote Sensing of Environment 89, 467-483. DOI: 10.1016/j.rse.2003.11.00510.1016/j.rse.2003.11.005

World Bank 2014. http://datacatalog.worldbank.org/