A multi-scale spatiotemporal modeling approach to explore vegetation dynamics patterns under global climate change

Given the complexity of vegetation dynamic patterns under global climate change, multi-scale spatiotemporal explicit models are necessary in order to account for environmental heterogeneity. However, there is no efficient time-series tool to extract, reconstruct and analyze the multi-scale vegetation dynamic patterns under global climate change. To fill this gap, a Multi-Scale Spatio-Temporal Modeling (MSSTM) framework which can incorporate the pixel, scale, and time-specific heterogeneity was proposed. The MSSTM method was defined on proper time-series models for multi-temporal components through wavelet transforms. The proposed MSSTM approach was applied to a subtropical mountainous and hilly agro-forestry ecosystem in southeast China using the moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer enhanced vegetation index (EVI) time-series data sets from 2001 to 2011. The MSSTM approach was proved to be efficient in characterizing and forecasting the complex vegetation dynamic patterns. It provided good estimates of the peaks and valleys of the observed EVI and its average percentages of relative absolute errors of reconstruction was low (6.65). The complexity of the relationship between vegetation dynamics and meteorological parameters was also revealed through the MSSTM method: (1) at seasonal level, vegetation dynamic patterns are strongly associated with climatic variables, primarily the temperature and then precipitation, with correlations slight decreasing (EVI–temperature)/increasing (EVI–precipitation) with altitudinal gradients. (2) At inter-annual scale, obvious positive correlations were primarily observed between EVI and temperature. (3) Despite very low-correlation coefficients observed at intra-seasonal scales, considerable proportions of EVI anomalies are associated with climatic variables, principally the precipitation and sunshine durations.     

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.     

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.     

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...     

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.