Assessment with satellite data of the urban heat island effects in Asian mega cities

This study focuses on using remote sensing for comparative assessment of surface urban heat island (UHI) in 18 mega cities in both temperate and tropical climate regions. Least-clouded day- and night-scenes of TERRA/MODIS acquired between 2001 and 2003 were selected to generate land-surface temperature (LST) maps. Spatial patterns of UHIs for each city were examined over its diurnal cycle and seasonal variations. A Gaussian approximation was applied in order to quantify spatial extents and magnitude of individual UHIs for inter-city comparison. To reveal relationship of UHIs with surface properties, UHI patterns were analyzed in association with urban vegetation covers and surface energy fluxes derived from high-resolution Landsat ETM+ data. This study provides a generalized picture on the UHI phenomena in the Asian region and the findings can be used to guide further study integrating satellite high-resolution thermal data with land-surface modeling and meso-scale climatic modeling in order to understand impacts of urbanization on local climate in Asia.     

Roles of horizontal and vertical tree canopy structure in mitigating daytime and nighttime urban heat island effects

The urban heat island (UHI) is increasingly recognized as a serious, worldwide problem because of urbanization and climate change. Urban vegetation is capable of alleviating UHI and improving urban environment by shading together with evapotranspiration. While the impacts of abundance and spatial configuration of vegetation on land surface temperature (LST) have been widely examined, very little attention has been paid to the role of vertical structure of vegetation in regulating LST. In this study, we investigated the relationships between horizontal/vertical structure characteristics of urban tree canopy and LST as well as diurnal divergence in Nanjing City, China, with the help of high resolution vegetation map, Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) data and various statistical analysis methods. The results indicated that composition, configuration and vertical structure of tree canopy were all significantly related to both daytime LST and nighttime LST. Tree canopy showed stronger influence on LST during the day than at night. Note that the contribution of composition of tree canopy to explaining spatial heterogeneity of LST, regardless of day and night, was the highest, followed by vertical structure and configuration. Combining composition, configuration and vertical structure of tree canopy can take advantage of their respective advantages, and best explain variation in both daytime LST and nighttime LST. As for the independent importance of factors affecting spatial variation of LST, percent cover of tree canopy (PLAND), mean tree canopy height (TH_Mean), amplitude of tree canopy height (TA) and patch cohesion index (COHESION) were the most influential during the day, while the most important variables were PLAND, maximum height of tree canopy (TH_Max), variance of tree canopy height (TH_SD) and COHESION at night. This research extends our understanding of the impacts of urban trees on the UHI effect from the horizontal to three-dimensional space. In addition, it may offer sustainable and effective strategies for urban designers and planners to cope with increasing temperature.     

Spatially non-stationary effect of underlying driving factors on surface urban heat islands in global major cities

Urban heat island (UHI) effect is among the most typical characteristics of urban climate. The analysis of surface UHI (SUHI) mechanisms has received the most extensive attention in the world. Here, we quantify the diurnal and seasonal SUHI intensity (SUHII) in global 419 major cities during the period 2003-2013. A geographically weighted regression (GWR) was established to assess the relationships between SUHII and several driving factors, and it further was compared to the ordinary least square (OLS) and stepwise multiple linear regression (SMLR) models. We show that GWR model has higher determination coefficient (R²) than OLS and SMLR models (Time: summer daytime, summer night, winter daytime and winter nighttime; GWR: 0.805, 0.458, 0.699 and 0.582; OLS: 0.732, 0.347, 0.473 and 0.320; SMLR: 0.732, 0.341, 0.468 and 0.316), indicating the spatially non-stationarity in the relationships. During the day, both vegetation activity and tree cover fraction have stronger cooling effect on SUHI in the summer of Asia. At night, there are stronger albedo effects on SUHI in the summer of Eastern Asia and Western North America and in the winter of Eastern Asia. Furthermore, temperature has stronger effect on daytime SUHI in Africa, Europe and South America in summer, and precipitation has stronger effect on nighttime SUHI in Africa and Europe in summer. Our results emphasize the spatial variation of the relationships between SUHII and relevant driving factors across global major cities, further indicating that the spatially non-stationary effect of driving factors on SUHII need to be considered in the future.     

Dynamics and controls of urban heat sink and island phenomena in a desert city: Development of a local climate zone scheme using remotely-sensed inputs

This study aims to determine the dynamics and controls of Surface Urban Heat Sinks (SUHS) and Surface Urban Heat Islands (SUHI) in desert cities, using Dubai as a case study. A Local Climate Zone (LCZ) schema was developed to subdivide the city into different zones based on similarities in land cover and urban geometry. Proximity to the Gulf Coast was also determined for each LCZ. The LCZs were then used to sample seasonal and daily imagery from the MODIS thermal sensor to determine Land Surface Temperature (LST) variations relative to desert sand. Canonical correlation techniques were then applied to determine which factors explained the variability between urban and desert LST.Our results indicate that the daytime SUHS effect is greatest during the summer months (typically ∼3.0 °C) with the strongest cooling effects in open high-rise zones of the city. In contrast, the night-time SUHI effect is greatest during the winter months (typically ∼3.5 °C) with the strongest warming effects in compact mid-rise zones of the city. Proximity to the Arabian Gulf had the largest influence on both SUHS and SUHI phenomena, promoting daytime cooling in the summer months and night-time warming in the winter months. However, other parameters associated with the urban environment such as building height had an influence on daytime cooling, with larger buildings promoting shade and variations in airflow. Likewise, other parameters such as sky view factor contributed to night-time warming, with higher temperatures associated with limited views of the sky.     

Urban heat island monitoring and analysis using a non-parametric model: A case study of Indianapolis

A procedure for the monitoring an urban heat island (UHI) was developed and tested over a selected location in the Midwestern United States. Nine counties in central Indiana were selected and their UHI patterns were modeled. Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) land surface temperature (LST) images taken in 2005 were used for the research. The images were sorted based on cloud cover over the study area. The resulting 94 day and night images were used for the modeling. The technique of process convolution was then applied to the images in order to characterize the UHIs. This process helped to characterize the LST data into a continuous surface and the UHI data into a series of Gaussian functions. The diurnal temperature profiles and UHI intensity attributes (minimum, maximum and magnitude) of the characterized images were analyzed for variations. Skin temperatures within any given image varied between 2–15 ^°C and 2–8 ^°C for the day and night images, respectively. The magnitude of the UHI varied from 1–5 ^°C and 1–3 ^°C over the daytime and nighttime images, respectively. Three dimensional (3-D) models of the day and night images were generated and visually explored for patterns through animation. A strong and clearly evident UHI was identified extending north of Marion County well into Hamilton County. This information coincides with the development and expansion of northern Marion County during the past few years in contrast to the southern part. To further explore these results, an Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) 2004 land use land cover (LULC) dataset was analyzed with respect to the characterized UHI. The areas with maximum heat signatures were found to have a strong correlation with impervious surfaces. The entire process of information extraction was automated in order to facilitate the mining of UHI patterns at a global scale. This research has proved to be promising approach for the modeling and mining of UHIs from large amount of remote sensing images. Furthermore, this research also aids in 3-D diachronic analysis.     

On urban heat island of Beijing based on landsat TM data

Land surface temperature (LST) of Beijing area was retrieved from Landsat TM thermal band data utilizing a radiative transfer equation and the urban heat island (HUI) effects of Beijing and its relationship with land cover and normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) were discussed. The result of LST showed that the urban LST was evidently higher than the suburban one. The average urban LST was found to 4. 5°C and 9°C higher than the suburban and outer suburban temperature, respectively, which demonstrated the prominent UHI effects in Beijing. Prominent negative correlation between LST and NDVI was found in the urban area, which suggested the low percent vegetation cover in the urban area was the main cause of the urban heat island.     

A preliminary exploration of the cooling effect of tree shade in urban landscapes

Mitigating urban heat island (UHI) effects, especially under climate change, is necessary for the promotion of urban sustainability. Shade is one of the most important functions provided by urban trees for mitigating UHI. However, the cooling effect of tree shade has not been adequately investigated. In this study, we used a simple and straightforward method to quantify the spatial and temporal variation of tree shade and examined its effect on land surface temperature (LST). We used the hillshade function in a geographic information system to quantify the spatiotemporal patterns of tree shade by integrating sun location and tree height. Relationships between shade and LST were then compared in two cities, Tampa, Florida and New York City (NYC), New York. We found that: (1) Hillshade function combining the sun location and tree height can accurately capture the spatial and temporal variation of tree shade; (2) Tree shade, particularly at 07:30, has significant cooling effect on LST in Tampa and NYC; and (3) Shade has a stronger cooling effect in Tampa than in NYC, which is most likely due to the differences in the ratio of tree canopy to impervious surface cover, the spatial arrangements of trees and buildings, and their relative heights. Comparing the cooling effects of tree shade in two cities, this study provides important insights for urban planners for UHI mitigation in different cities.     

Development of a 3-D urbanization index using digital terrain models for surface urban heat island effects

This study assesses surface urban heat island (SUHI) effects during heat waves in subtropical areas. Two cities in northern Taiwan, Taipei metropolis and its adjacent medium-sized city, Yilan, were selected for this empirical study. Daytime and night time surface temperature and SUHI intensity of both cities in five heat wave cases were obtained from MODIS Land-Surface Temperature (LST) and compared. In order to assess SUHI in finer spatial scale, an innovated three-dimensional Urbanization Index (3DUI) with a 5-m spatial resolution was developed to quantify urbanization from a 3-D perspective using Digital Terrain Models (DTMs). The correlation between 3DUI and surface temperatures were also assessed. The results obtained showed that the highest SUHI intensity in daytime was 10.2 °C in Taipei and 7.5 °C in Yilan. The SUHI intensity was also higher than that in non-heat-wave days (about 5 °C) in Taipei. The difference in SUHI intensity of both cities could be as small as only 1.0 °C, suggesting that SUHI intensity was enhanced in both large and medium-sized cities during heat waves. Moreover, the surface temperatures of rural areas in Taipei and Yilan were elevated in the intense heat wave cases, suggesting that the SUHI may reach a plateau when the heat waves get stronger and last longer. In addition, the correlation coefficient between 3DUI and surface temperature was greater than 0.6. The innovative 3DUI can be employed to assess the spatial variation of temperatures and SUHI intensity in much finer spatial resolutions than measurements obtained from remote sensing and weather stations. In summary, the empirical results demonstrated intensified SUHI in large and medium-sized cities in subtropical areas during heat waves which could result in heat stress risks of residents. The innovative 3DUI can be employed to identify vulnerable areas in fine spatial resolutions for formulation of heat wave adaptation strategies.     

Area Delineation and Spatial-Temporal Dynamics of Urban Heat Island in Lanzhou City,China Using Remote Sensing Imagery

One of the key impacts of rapid urbanization on the environment is the effect of urban heat island (UHI). By using the Landsat TM/ETM+ thermal infrared remote sensing data of 1993, 2001 and 2011 to retrieve the land surface temperature (LST) of Lanzhou City, and by adopting object-oriented fractal net evolution approach (FNEA) to make image segmentation of the LST, the UHI elements were extracted. The G* index spatial aggregation analysis was made to calculate the urban heat island ratio index (URI), and the landscape metrics were used to quantify the changes of the spatial pattern of the UHI from the aspects of quantity, shape and structure. The impervious surface distribution and vegetation coverage were extracted by a constrained linear spectral mixture model to explore the relationships of the impervious surface distribution and vegetation coverage with the UHI. The information of urban built-up area was extracted by using UBI (NDBI-NDVI) index, and the effects of urban expansion on city thermal environment were quantitatively analyzed, with the URI and the LST grade maps built. In recent 20 years, the UHI effect in Lanzhou City was strengthened, with the URI increased by 1.4 times. The urban expansion had a spatiotemporal consistency with the UHI expansion. The patch number and density of the UHI landscape were increased, the patch shape and the whole landscape tended to be complex, the landscape became more fragmented, and the landscape connectivity was decreased. The heat island strength had a negative linear correlation with the urban vegetation coverage, and a positive logarithmic correlation with the urban impervious surface coverage.     

Quantitative urban climate mapping based on a geographical database: A simulation approach using Hong Kong as a case study

The urban environment has been dramatically changed by artificial constructions. How the modified urban geometry affects the urban climate and therefore human thermal comfort has become a primary concern for urban planners. The present study takes a simulation approach to analyze the influence of urban geometry on the urban climate and maps this climatic understanding from a quantitative perspective. A geographical building database is used to characterize two widely discussed aspects: urban heat island effect (UHI) and wind dynamics. The parameters of the sky view factor (SVF) and the frontal area density (FAD) are simulated using ArcGIS-embedded computer programs to link urban geometry with the UHI and wind dynamic conditions. The simulated results are synergized and classified to evaluate different urban climatic conditions based on thermal comfort consideration. A climatic map is then generated implementing the classification. The climatic map shows reasonable agreement with thermal comfort understanding, as indicated by the biometeorological index of the physiological equivalent temperature (PET) obtained in an earlier study. The proposed climate mapping approach can provide both quantitative and visual evaluation of the urban environment for urban planners with climatic concerns. The map could be used as a decision support tool in planning and policy-making processes. An urban area in Hong Kong is used as a case study.     

城市热岛的遥感研究进展

系统总结了应用遥感技术开展城市热岛研究的数据、方法与成果。对国内外学者有关城市热岛的形态结构、过程变化及成因分析等方面的研究内容进行了较为详细的评述，在此基础上，对未来城市热岛遥感研究的方向进行了展望。     

Bi-temporal characterization of land surface temperature in relation to impervious surface area,NDVI and NDBI,using a sub-pixel image analysis

As more than 50% of the human population are situated in cities of the world, urbanization has become an important contributor to global warming due to remarkable urban heat island (UHI) effect. UHI effect has been linked to the regional climate, environment, and socio-economic development. In this study, Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) and Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+) imagery, respectively acquired in 1989 and 2001, were utilized to assess urban area thermal characteristics in Fuzhou, the capital city of Fujian province in south-eastern China. As a key indicator for the assessment of urban environments, sub-pixel impervious surface area (ISA) was mapped to quantitatively determine urban land-use extents and urban surface thermal patterns. In order to accurately estimate urban surface types, high-resolution imagery was utilized to generate the proportion of impervious surface areas. Urban thermal characteristics was further analysed by investigating the relationships between the land surface temperature (LST), percent impervious surface area, and two indices, the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and Normalized Difference Built-up Index (NDBI). The results show that correlations between NDVI and LST are rather weak, but there is a strong positive correlation between percent ISA, NDBI and LST. This suggests that percent ISA, combined with LST, and NDBI, can quantitatively describe the spatial distribution and temporal variation of urban thermal patterns and associated land-use/land-cover (LULC) conditions.     

Effects of green space spatial pattern on land surface temperature: Implications for sustainable urban planning and climate change adaptation

The urban heat island (UHI) refers to the phenomenon of higher atmospheric and surface temperatures occurring in urban areas than in the surrounding rural areas. Mitigation of the UHI effects via the configuration of green spaces and sustainable design of urban environments has become an issue of increasing concern under changing climate. In this paper, the effects of the composition and configuration of green space on land surface temperatures (LST) were explored using landscape metrics including percentage of landscape (PLAND), edge density (ED) and patch density (PD). An oasis city of Aksu in Northwestern China was used as a case study. The metrics were calculated by moving window method based on a green space map derived from Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) imagery, and LST data were retrieved from Landsat TM thermal band. A normalized mutual information measure was employed to investigate the relationship between LST and the spatial pattern of green space. The results showed that while the PLAND is the most important variable that elicits LST dynamics, spatial configuration of green space also has significant effect on LST. Though, the highest normalized mutual information measure was with the PLAND (0.71), it was found that the ED and PD combination is the most deterministic factors of LST than the unique effects of a single variable or the joint effects of PLAND and PD or PLAND and ED. Normalized mutual information measure estimations between LST and PLAND and ED, PLAND and PD and ED and PD were 0.7679, 0.7650 and 0.7832, respectively. A combination of the three factors PLAND, PD and ED explained much of the variance of LST with a normalized mutual information measure of 0.8694. Results from this study can expand our understanding of the relationship between LST and street trees and vegetation, and provide insights for sustainable urban planning and management under changing climate.     

Estimating spatio-temporal air temperature in London (UK) using machine learning and earth observation satellite data

Urbanisation generates greater population densities and an increase in anthropogenic heat generation. These factors elevate the urban–rural air temperature (T_a) difference, thus generating the Urban Heat Island (UHI) phenomenon. T_a is used in the fields of public health and epidemiology to quantify deaths attributable to heat in cities around the world: the presence of UHI can exacerbate exposure to high temperatures during summer periods, thereby increasing the risk of heat-related mortality. Measuring and monitoring the spatial patterns of T_a in urban contexts is challenging due to the lack of a good network of weather stations. This study aims to produce a parsimonious model to retrieve maximum T_a (T_max) at high spatio-temporal resolution using Earth Observation (EO) satellite data. The novelty of this work is twofold: (i) it will produce daily estimations of T_max for London at 1 km² during the summertime between 2006 and 2017 using advanced statistical techniques and satellite-derived predictors, and (ii) it will investigate for the first time the predictive power of the gradient boosting algorithm to estimate T_max for an urban area. In this work, 6 regression models were calibrated with 6 satellite products, 3 geospatial features, and 29 meteorological stations. Stepwise linear regression was applied to create 9 groups of predictors, which were trained and tested on each regression method. This study demonstrates the potential of machine learning algorithms to predict T_max: the gradient boosting model with a group of five predictors (land surface temperature, Julian day, normalised difference vegetation index, digital elevation model, solar zenith angle) was the regression model with the best performance (R² = 0.68, MAE = 1.60 °C, and RMSE = 2.03 °C). This methodological approach is capable of being replicated in other UK cities, benefiting national heat-related mortality assessments since the data (provided by NASA and the UK Met Office) and programming languages (Python) sources are free and open. This study provides a framework to produce a high spatio-temporal resolution of T_max, assisting public health researchers to improve the estimation of mortality attributable to high temperatures. In addition, the research contributes to practice and policy-making by enhancing the understanding of the locations where mortality rates may increase due to heat. Therefore, it enables a more informed decision-making process towards the prioritisation of actions to mitigate heat-related mortality amongst the vulnerable population.     

NOAA/AVHRR sea surface temperature accuracy in the East/Japan Sea

Sea surface temperature (SST) retrieved from Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) onboard National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) polar orbiting environmental satellites were validated in the East/Japan Sea (EJS) using surface drifter measurements as ground truths from 2005 to 2010. Overall, the root-mean-square (rms) errors of multichannel SSTs (MCSSTs) and non-linear SSTs (NLSSTs) using global SST coefficients were approximately 0.85°C and 0.80°C, respectively. An analysis of the SST errors (satellite – drifter) revealed a dependence on the amount of atmospheric moisture. In addition, satellite-derived SSTs tended to be related to wind speeds, particularly during the night. The SST errors also demonstrated diurnal variations with relatively higher rms from 0.80°C to 1.00°C during the night than the day, with a small rms of about 0.50°C. Bias also exhibited reasonable diurnal differences, showing small biases during the daytime. Although a satellite zenith angle has been considered in the global SST coefficients, its effect on the SST errors still remained in case of the EJS. Given the diverse use of SST data, the continuous validation and understanding of the characteristic errors of satellite SSTs should be conducted based on extensive in-situ temperature measurements in the global ocean as well as local seas.     

Study on the urban heat island effects and its relationship with surface biophysical characteristics using MODIS imageries

This study assesses surface urban heat island (UHI) and its associated surface physical characteristics using remote sensing approaches. TERRA/MODIS images acquired in 2005 in three different seasons were selected to generate land surface tem-perature and surface characteristics for the Changsha-Zhuzhou-Xiangtan metropolitan area in China. The intensity of urban heat is-land effects and its seasonal variations were examined. The result showed that UHI effects were significant both in the summer and the spri...     

成都平原中等城市的热岛效应动态特征对比研究

城市热岛效应是当前城市气候与城市生态环境的研究热点。研究使用Landsat TM/ETM+遥感影像获取城市建成区信息和反演亮度温度,进而评价成都平原6个中等城市的热岛强度、热岛发育程度以及空间动态演变特征。研究发现,在"评价初期→评价中期→评价末期"过程中,成都平原6个中等城市的热岛强度前期增强、后期减弱;城市旧城区的热岛规模普遍减小,这说明,旧城区热环境有所改善,而城市扩展区的热岛规模普遍增大,是因城市扩展明显改变了地表自然环境,导致热岛效应出现,这与城市化进程的内在规律基本一致。绵阳等城市的研究成果表明,即使城市规模扩大,只要城市规划科学合理,并注重城市生态环境的保护,城市热岛效应也能得到有效缓解。     

Future productivity and phenology changes in European grasslands for different warming levels: implications for grassland management and carbon balance

Background

Europe has warmed more than the global average (land and ocean) since pre-industrial times, and is also projected to continue to warm faster than the global average in the twenty-first century. According to the climate models ensemble projections for various climate scenarios, annual mean temperature of Europe for 2071–2100 is predicted to be 1–5.5 °C higher than that for 1971–2000. Climate change and elevated CO₂ concentration are anticipated to affect grassland management and livestock production in Europe. However, there has been little work done to quantify the European-wide response of grassland to future climate change. Here we applied ORCHIDEE-GM v2.2, a grid-based model for managed grassland, over European grassland to estimate the impacts of future global change.

Results

Increases in grassland productivity are simulated in response to future global change, which are mainly attributed to the simulated fertilization effect of rising CO₂. The results show significant phenology shifts, in particular an earlier winter-spring onset of grass growth over Europe. A longer growing season is projected over southern and southeastern Europe. In other regions, summer drought causes an earlier end to the growing season, overall reducing growing season length. Future global change allows an increase of management intensity with higher than current potential annual grass forage yield, grazing capacity and livestock density, and a shift in seasonal grazing capacity. We found a continual grassland soil carbon sink in Mediterranean, Alpine, North eastern, South eastern and Eastern regions under specific warming level (SWL) of 1.5 and 2 °C relative to pre-industrial climate. However, this carbon sink is found to saturate, and gradually turn to a carbon source at warming level reaching 3.5 °C.

Conclusions

This study provides a European-wide assessment of the future changes in productivity and phenology of grassland, and their consequences for the management intensity and the carbon balance. The simulated productivity increase in response to future global change enables an intensification of grassland management over Europe. However, the simulated increase in the interannual variability of grassland productivity over some regions may reduce the farmers’ ability to take advantage of the increased long-term mean productivity in the face of more frequent, and more severe drops of productivity in the future.

     

Spatio-temporal Assessment of Urban Heat Island Effects in Kuala Lumpur Metropolitan City Using Landsat Images

Alteration in climatic pattern has resulted to a steady decline in quality of life and the environment, especially in and around urbanized areas. These areas are faced with increasing surface temperature arising mostly from human activities and other natural sources; hence land surface temperature has become an important variable in global climate change studies. In this paper, Landsat TM/ETM imagery acquired between 1997 and 2013 were used to extract ground brightness temperature and land use/land cover change in Kuala Lumpur metropolis. The main objective of this paper is to examine the effectiveness of quantifying UHI effects, in space and time, using remote sensing data and, also, to find the relationship between UHI and land use change. Four land use types (forest, farmland, built-up area and water) were classified from the Landsat images using maximum likelihood classification technique. The result reveals that Greater KL experienced an increase in average temperature from 312.641°K to 321.112°K which was quite eminent with an average gain in surface temperature of 8.4717°K. During the period of investigation (1997–2013), generally high temperature is been experienced mostly in concentrated built-up areas, the less concentrated have a moderate to intermediate temperature. Again, the study also shows that low and intermediate temperature classes loss more spatial extent from 2,246.89 Km² to 1,164.53 Km² and 6,102.42 Km² to 3,013.63 Km² and a gain of 4,165.963 Km² and 307.098 Km² in moderate and high temperature respectively from 1997 to 2013. The results of this study may assist planners, scientists, engineers, demographers and other social scientists concerned about urban heat island to make decisions that will enhance sustainable environmental practices.     

Remotely sensed surface temperature variation of an inland saline lake over the central Qinghai–Tibet Plateau

Research on surface water temperature (SWT) variations in large lakes over the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau (QTP) has been limited by lack of in situ measurements. By taking advantage of the increased availability of remotely sensed observations, this study investigated SWT variation of Siling Co in central QTP by processing complete MODIS Land surface temperature (LST) images over the lake covering from 2001 to 2013. The temporal (diurnal, intra-annul and inter-annul) variations of Siling Co SWT as well as the spatial patterns were analyzed. The results show that on average from late December to mid-April the lake is in a mixing state of water and ice and drastic diurnal temperature differences occur, especially along the shallow shoreline areas. The extent of spatial variations in monthly SWT ranges from 1.25 °C to 3.5 °C, and particularly large at nighttime and in winter months. The spatial patterns of annual average SWT were likely impacted by the cooling effect of river inflow from the west and east side of the lake. The annual cycle of spatial pattern of SWT is characterized by seasonal reversions between the shallow littoral regions and deep parts due to different heat capacity. Compared to the deep regions, the littoral shallow shoreline areas warms up quickly in spring and summer, and cool down drastically in autumn and winter, showing large diurnal and seasonal variation amplitudes of SWT. Two cold belt zones in the western and eastern side of the lake and warm patches along the southwestern and northeastern shorelines are shaped by the combined effects of the lakebed topography and river runoff. Overall, the lake-averaged SWT increased at a rate of 0.26 °C/decade during 2001–2013. Faster increase of temperature was found at nighttime (0.34 °C/decade) and in winter and spring, consistent with the asymmetric warming pattern over land areas reported in prior studies. The rate of temperature increase over Siling Co is remarkably lower than that over Bangoin station, which is probably attributable to the large heat capacity of water and partly reflects the sensitive of alpine saltwater lake to climate change.