Estimation of Urban–Rural Land Surface Temperature Difference at Different Elevations in the Qinling–Daba Mountains Using MODIS and the Random Forest Model

Jiale Tang, Xincan Lan, Yuanyuan Lian, Fang Zhao () and Tianqi Li
Additional contact information
Jiale Tang: College of Geography and Environmental Science, Henan University, Kaifeng 475004, China
Xincan Lan: College of Geography and Environmental Science, Henan University, Kaifeng 475004, China
Yuanyuan Lian: College of Geography and Environmental Science, Henan University, Kaifeng 475004, China
Fang Zhao: College of Geography and Environmental Science, Henan University, Kaifeng 475004, China
Tianqi Li: College of Geography and Environmental Science, Henan University, Kaifeng 475004, China

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 18, 1-12

Abstract: Land surface temperature (LST) variations are very complex in mountainous areas owing to highly heterogeneous terrain and varied environment, which complicates the surface urban heat island (SUHI) in mountain cities. Previous studies on the urban heat island (UHI) effect mostly focus on the flat terrain areas; there are few studies on the UHI effect in mountainous areas, especially on the influence of elevation on the SUHI effect. To determine the SUHI in the Qinling–Daba mountains (China), MODIS LST data were first preprocessed and converted to the same elevations (1500 m, 2000 m, 2500 m, 3000 m, and 3500 m) using a digital elevation model and the random forest method. Then, the average LSTs in urban land, rural land, and cultivated land were calculated separately based on the ranges of the invariable urban, rural, and cultivated areas during 2010–2018, and the urban, rural, and cultivated land LST difference were estimated for the same elevations. Results showed that the accuracy of LST estimated using the random forest method is very high (R 2 ≥ 0.9) at elevations of 1500 m, 2000 m, 2500 m, 3000 m and 3500 m. The difference in urban, rural, and cultivated lands’ LST has a trend of decrease with increasing elevation, meaning that the SUHI weakens at higher elevations. The average LST of urban areas is 0.52–0.59 °C (0.42–0.57 °C) higher than that of rural and cultivated areas at an elevation of 1500 m (2000 m). The average LST of urban areas is 0.10–1.25 °C lower than that of rural and cultivated areas at elevations of 2500 m, 3000 m, and 3500 m, indicating absence of the SUHI at those elevations.

Keywords: MODIS LST; DEM; land use; random forest; heat island effect; surface urban heat island; Qinling–Daba mountains (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/19/18/11442/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/19/18/11442/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:19:y:2022:i:18:p:11442-:d:912398

Access Statistics for this article

IJERPH is currently edited by Ms. Jenna Liu

More articles in IJERPH from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().