Comparative analysis of near-surface and surface urban heat islands in the Yangtze River Delta region

Abstract

Compared with surface temperature, the near-surface temperature is more related with human health. However, extensive researches have been conducted on the UHI effect globally using surface temperature considering its accessibility. In this study, a comparative analysis of near-surface and surface urban heat islands in the Yangtze River Delta Region is investigated. This study first proposed a spatialization method suitable for air temperature in highly urbanized areas with complex land cover. Based on this method, a dataset of 1-km gridded air temperature is developed, and an in-depth analysis of the changes of near-surface and surface heat island is further carried out. Results show that both the near-surface urban heat island intensity (NSUHII) and surface urban heat island intensity (SUHII) are rather strong over the past 20 years, presenting similar spatial distributions as well. However, in the rapidly expanding urban areas especially during summer and winter seasons, the difference in magnitude and time variations (R) between NSUHII and SUHII are pronounced. Hence, adaptions and mitigation strategies on NSUHI and SUHI should be developed and implemented separately in such occasions, which is especially important for developed areas such as Yangtze River Delta Region.