Abstract
Urban Heat Island Intensity (UHII) is calculated as the spatially-averaged temperature difference between an urban and its surrounding rural area. This concept, however, provides an umbrella for a range of diversified ideas that include the temperature difference between the densely developed urban area and least developed area or between two different built-up areas. There are also averages for the season, for the year, for multiple years, etc. and UHII quoted for the day and another for the night. The objective of this work is to examine the urban heat island effect for cities around the world, using readily available data. The innovation is in using data from the Landsat satellites for different cities previously not studied. Thermal images of the Earth were obtained and analyzed to produce surface temperature maps. These maps showed that the temperature in the urban environments were significantly higher than the temperature in the surrounding countryside, a defining characteristic of urban heat island. Furthermore, the urban and rural areas in the images were separated and analyzed individually to quantitatively measure the temperature difference. It was found that the UHII could be 0.3-5.1°C for the eleven cities investigated. Miami and Shenzen are two cities which seem to have been missed in previous studies because they were limited in their scope and responsibilities, and their methods required much more resources for the longer term studies. It is not the claim here that a UHI is definitively established by the analysis presented of the Landsat satellite data. The present work demonstrates the use of a possible planning tool in terms of understanding where urban areas may be subjected to additional heat. Our use of the method shows that a UHI is probably taking place at the time of observation, and precautionary notices should be sent out to the community to take preventative measures to ensure their health and wellbeing. The minimal resources required is the demonstration shown by our work of the usefulness of this method.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | ASME International Mechanical Engineering Congress and Exposition, Proceedings (IMECE) |
| Pages | 661-674 |
| Number of pages | 14 |
| Volume | 6 |
| Edition | PARTS A AND B |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Dec 1 2012 |
| Event | ASME 2012 International Mechanical Engineering Congress and Exposition, IMECE 2012 - Houston, TX, United States Duration: Nov 9 2012 → Nov 15 2012 |
Other
| Other | ASME 2012 International Mechanical Engineering Congress and Exposition, IMECE 2012 |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| City | Houston, TX |
| Period | 11/9/12 → 11/15/12 |
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ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Mechanical Engineering
Cite this
Use of satellite images for observational and quantitative analysis of urban heat islands around the world. / Wong, Kaufui; Chaudhry, Sarmad.
ASME International Mechanical Engineering Congress and Exposition, Proceedings (IMECE). Vol. 6 PARTS A AND B. ed. 2012. p. 661-674.Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Conference contribution
}
TY - GEN
T1 - Use of satellite images for observational and quantitative analysis of urban heat islands around the world
AU - Wong, Kaufui
AU - Chaudhry, Sarmad
PY - 2012/12/1
Y1 - 2012/12/1
N2 - Urban Heat Island Intensity (UHII) is calculated as the spatially-averaged temperature difference between an urban and its surrounding rural area. This concept, however, provides an umbrella for a range of diversified ideas that include the temperature difference between the densely developed urban area and least developed area or between two different built-up areas. There are also averages for the season, for the year, for multiple years, etc. and UHII quoted for the day and another for the night. The objective of this work is to examine the urban heat island effect for cities around the world, using readily available data. The innovation is in using data from the Landsat satellites for different cities previously not studied. Thermal images of the Earth were obtained and analyzed to produce surface temperature maps. These maps showed that the temperature in the urban environments were significantly higher than the temperature in the surrounding countryside, a defining characteristic of urban heat island. Furthermore, the urban and rural areas in the images were separated and analyzed individually to quantitatively measure the temperature difference. It was found that the UHII could be 0.3-5.1°C for the eleven cities investigated. Miami and Shenzen are two cities which seem to have been missed in previous studies because they were limited in their scope and responsibilities, and their methods required much more resources for the longer term studies. It is not the claim here that a UHI is definitively established by the analysis presented of the Landsat satellite data. The present work demonstrates the use of a possible planning tool in terms of understanding where urban areas may be subjected to additional heat. Our use of the method shows that a UHI is probably taking place at the time of observation, and precautionary notices should be sent out to the community to take preventative measures to ensure their health and wellbeing. The minimal resources required is the demonstration shown by our work of the usefulness of this method.
AB - Urban Heat Island Intensity (UHII) is calculated as the spatially-averaged temperature difference between an urban and its surrounding rural area. This concept, however, provides an umbrella for a range of diversified ideas that include the temperature difference between the densely developed urban area and least developed area or between two different built-up areas. There are also averages for the season, for the year, for multiple years, etc. and UHII quoted for the day and another for the night. The objective of this work is to examine the urban heat island effect for cities around the world, using readily available data. The innovation is in using data from the Landsat satellites for different cities previously not studied. Thermal images of the Earth were obtained and analyzed to produce surface temperature maps. These maps showed that the temperature in the urban environments were significantly higher than the temperature in the surrounding countryside, a defining characteristic of urban heat island. Furthermore, the urban and rural areas in the images were separated and analyzed individually to quantitatively measure the temperature difference. It was found that the UHII could be 0.3-5.1°C for the eleven cities investigated. Miami and Shenzen are two cities which seem to have been missed in previous studies because they were limited in their scope and responsibilities, and their methods required much more resources for the longer term studies. It is not the claim here that a UHI is definitively established by the analysis presented of the Landsat satellite data. The present work demonstrates the use of a possible planning tool in terms of understanding where urban areas may be subjected to additional heat. Our use of the method shows that a UHI is probably taking place at the time of observation, and precautionary notices should be sent out to the community to take preventative measures to ensure their health and wellbeing. The minimal resources required is the demonstration shown by our work of the usefulness of this method.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84887276222&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=84887276222&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1115/IMECE2012-93029
DO - 10.1115/IMECE2012-93029
M3 - Conference contribution
SN - 9780791845226
VL - 6
SP - 661
EP - 674
BT - ASME International Mechanical Engineering Congress and Exposition, Proceedings (IMECE)
ER -