Remote Sensing Image-Based Analysis for Effects of Urbanization on Climate Quantifying

Abstract

European cities face a range of challenges over the coming decades that will influence the nature of urban growth and development across the continent. Climate change and the intensity of extreme climate events (like heat waves, flooding, storming, freezing etc.) is of great environmental concern facing mankind in this century. As urbanization has become an important contributor for global warming, Urban Heat Island (UHI) effect will be sure to influence the regional climate, environment, and socio-economic development. Urban heat island (UHI) is one of the important outcomes of land cover surface changes processes induced by urbanization, which represents the difference in albedo, roughness, and heat flux exchange of land surface. Satellite remote sensing imagery is a key tool for urban surface energy budgets and urban heat islands investigation as well as for urban climatology research. In this study Landsat TM/ETM, MODIS, ASTER and IKONOS satellite images over 1990 to 2011 period have been selected to retrieve the urban biogeophysical parameters and brightness temperatures in relation with changes of land use/cover types over Bucharest metropolitan area, Romania. Our analysis showed that higher temperature in the UHI was located with a scattered pattern, which was related to certain land-cover types. Also have been assessed the urbanization impacts on urban climate at local and regional levels.