Assessment of urban surface thermal environment using MODIS with a population-weighted method: a case study

作者：Yang, Yuan Jian; Gao, Zhiqiu; Shi, Tao; Wang, Hong; Li, Yubin; Zhang, Ning; Zhang, Hongqun; Huang, Yong^*

来源：Journal of Spatial Science, 2019, 64(2): 287-300.

DOI：10.1080/14498596.2017.1422155

• Thermal environment index
• MODIS
• population-weighted method
• night-time light satellite
• heat exposure of population

In this paper, taking the Hefei City in China as an example, a population-weighted urbansurface thermalenvironment index (I-PWUSTE) is constructed with the MODIS-based land surface temperature (LST) and the spatial population retrieved from night-time light satellite observations. The results show that the spatial distribution of I-PWUSTE corresponds well with the actual distribution of the urbanland covers with their surface thermalenvironments (STEs). Firstly, I-PWUSTE can consider and reliably reflect the anthropogenic effects on the urban surface, because spatial I-PWUSTE matches well with spatial population and city size. Secondly, I-PWUSTE is also useful to understand and reveal the population exposure to high temperature. Thirdly, comparing with the 1-km grid MODIS-based LST, I-PWUSTE has a higher resolution of 0.5-km and improves the spatial description of STEs. Over all, I-PWUSTE can be effectively applied to reveal the heat exposure of a population and to alleviateheatwave impacts in urban areas in the summer.

• 出版日期2019-5-4
• 单位安徽省气象科学研究所; 南京信息工程大学; 南京大学