Effects of COVID-19 Restriction Policies on Urban Heat Islands in Some European Cities: Berlin, London, Paris, Madrid, and Frankfurt

Taher Safarrad, Mostafa Ghadami and Andreas Dittmann
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Taher Safarrad: Geography and Urban Planning Department, University of Mazandaran, Babolsar 13534-47416, Iran
Mostafa Ghadami: Department of Geography, Justus Liebig University Giessen, 35390 Giessen, Germany
Andreas Dittmann: Department of Geography, Justus Liebig University Giessen, 35390 Giessen, Germany

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 11, 1-25

Abstract: The present study investigates the effects of policies restricting human activities during the COVID-19 epidemic on the characteristics of Night Land Surface Temperature (NLST) and Night Urban Heat Islands (NUHI) in five major European cities. In fact, the focus of this study was to explore the role of anthropogenic factors in the formation and intensity of NUHI. The effect of such factors was uncontrollable before the COVID-19 outbreak on the global scale and in a real non-laboratory environment. In this study, two indices, the concentration of Nitrogen dioxide (NO 2 ) and Nighttime Lights (NL), were used as indicators of the number of anthropogenic activities. The data were collected before the COVID-19 outbreak and after its prevalence in 2019–2020. A Paired samples t -test and a Pearson correlation were used to examine the differences or significant relationships between the variables and indicators studied throughout the two periods. The results of the study confirmed a direct and significant relationship between NO 2 and NL indices and the NUHI and NLST variables; however, using strict restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic, the NO 2 and NL indices decreased seriously, leading to significant changes in the characteristics of the NUHI and NLST in the five cities. This study has some implications for urban planners and politicians, e.g., the environmental impacts of changing the nature and level of anthropogenic activities can greatly affect the pattern and intensity of the Urban Heat Islands (UHIs) (as a serious environmental challenge).

Keywords: COVID-19; urban heat island; restriction policies; European cities (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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