Review on research methods of the surface urban heat island effect based on CNKI bibliometrics.

The urban heat island (UHI) effect is an increasingly prominent local climate issue in the process of global urbanization, significantly impacting human settlement health and energy consumption. Based on the China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) database, we searched and analyzed Chinese journal articles on the surface urban heat island (SUHI) effect published during 1980 and 2024. Using CiteSpace software, we conducted a visual analysis of publication trends and keywords to systematically summarize the research advances. We reviewed and discussed the research hotspots, including data sources, identification methods, and evaluation indicators related to the surface urban heat island effect. We also proposed the shortages and challenges in current research, such as identification accuracy, mechanism analysis, and impact assessment. More works should be strengthened in future research, including optimizing multi-source data integration with cross-validation, innovating multi-scale dynamic evaluation methods, and enriching multi-dimension impact assessment systems. By reviewing the development process of surface urban heat island effect research in China, we hoped to provide theoretical support and technical guidance for future research, contributing to the deepening and practical application of the research.