{"title":"Spatiotemporal patterns of the urban thermal environment and the impact of human activities in low-latitude plateau cities","authors":"Fei Zhao , Maolin Zhang , Shaoting Zhu , Xingyi Zhang , Sunjie Ma , Yichen Gao , Jisheng Xia , Xinrui Wang , Yiyang Zhang , Sujin Zhang , Xiaoqing Zhao , Yang Shen","doi":"10.1016/j.jag.2025.104703","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Urbanization intensifies the surface urban heat island (SUHI) effect, impacting the urban thermal environment (UTE). This study focuses on Kunming, a low-latitude plateau city in China, to analyze the spatiotemporal evolution of its UTE using remote sensing data. The Cumulative Human Activity Intensity (CHAI) index, incorporating land use, nighttime lights, population density, GDP, and tourism activities, is introduced to assess human activity’s spatial impact on land surface temperature (LST). Key findings include: (1) The nighttime SUHI effect is more pronounced and spatially concentrated, with stronger LST warming and a northwestward shift of the SUHI core; (2) The impact of human activities on LST shows spatial heterogeneity, with urban areas experiencing stronger warming than suburban areas. Specifically, sparsely built areas (LCZ9) and open low-rise zones (LCZ6) contribute significantly to warming; (3) Human activities more strongly influence nighttime LST, with this effect intensified by the synergistic interaction between topographic and meteorological factors. This study offers a novel approach to quantifying diurnal and nocturnal human activity effects on LST, providing insights for optimizing UTE management.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":73423,"journal":{"name":"International journal of applied earth observation and geoinformation : ITC journal","volume":"142 ","pages":"Article 104703"},"PeriodicalIF":7.6000,"publicationDate":"2025-06-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"International journal of applied earth observation and geoinformation : ITC journal","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1569843225003504","RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":null,"ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"REMOTE SENSING","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Urbanization intensifies the surface urban heat island (SUHI) effect, impacting the urban thermal environment (UTE). This study focuses on Kunming, a low-latitude plateau city in China, to analyze the spatiotemporal evolution of its UTE using remote sensing data. The Cumulative Human Activity Intensity (CHAI) index, incorporating land use, nighttime lights, population density, GDP, and tourism activities, is introduced to assess human activity’s spatial impact on land surface temperature (LST). Key findings include: (1) The nighttime SUHI effect is more pronounced and spatially concentrated, with stronger LST warming and a northwestward shift of the SUHI core; (2) The impact of human activities on LST shows spatial heterogeneity, with urban areas experiencing stronger warming than suburban areas. Specifically, sparsely built areas (LCZ9) and open low-rise zones (LCZ6) contribute significantly to warming; (3) Human activities more strongly influence nighttime LST, with this effect intensified by the synergistic interaction between topographic and meteorological factors. This study offers a novel approach to quantifying diurnal and nocturnal human activity effects on LST, providing insights for optimizing UTE management.
期刊介绍:
The International Journal of Applied Earth Observation and Geoinformation publishes original papers that utilize earth observation data for natural resource and environmental inventory and management. These data primarily originate from remote sensing platforms, including satellites and aircraft, supplemented by surface and subsurface measurements. Addressing natural resources such as forests, agricultural land, soils, and water, as well as environmental concerns like biodiversity, land degradation, and hazards, the journal explores conceptual and data-driven approaches. It covers geoinformation themes like capturing, databasing, visualization, interpretation, data quality, and spatial uncertainty.