Determining the effect of green spaces on Urban heat distribution using satellite imagery

Abstract

Urbanization has led to a reduction in green spaces and thus transformed the spatial pattern of urban land use. An increase in air temperature directly affects forest vegetation, phenology, and biodiversity in urban areas. In this paper, we analyze the changing land use patterns and urban heat distribution (UHD) in Seoul on the basis of a spatial assessment. It is necessary to monitor and assess the functions of green spaces in order to understand the changes in the green space. In addition, we estimated the influence of green space on urban temperature using Landsat 7 Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+) imagery and climatic data. Results of the assessment showed that UHD differences cause differences in temperature variation and the spatial extent of temperature reducing effects due to urban green space. The ratio of urban heat area to green space cooling area increases rapidly with increasing distance from a green space boundary. This shows that urban green space plays an important role for mitigating urban heating in central areas. This study demonstrated the importance of green space by characterizing the spatiotemporal variations in temperature associated with urban green spaces.