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On the effects of landscape configuration on summer diurnal temperatures in urban residential areas: application in Phoenix, AZ

Frontiers of Earth Science volume 13, pages 445–463 (2019)Cite this article

Abstract

The impacts of land-cover composition on urban temperatures, including temperature extremes, are well documented. Much less attention has been devoted to the consequences of land-cover configuration, most of which addresses land surface temperatures. This study explores the role of both composition and configuration—or land system architecture—of residential neighborhoods in the Phoenix metropolitan area, on near-surface air temperature. It addresses two-dimensional, spatial attributes of buildings, impervious surfaces, bare soil/rock, vegetation and the “urbanscape” at large, from 50 m to 550 m at 100 m increments, for a representative 30-day high sun period. Linear mixed-effects models evaluate the significance of land system architecture metrics at different spatial aggregation levels. The results indicate that, controlling for land-cover composition and geographical variables, land-cover configuration, specifically the fractal dimension of buildings, is significantly associated with near-surface temperatures. In addition, statistically significant predictors related to composition and configuration appear to depend on the adopted level of spatial aggregation.

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Acknowledgements

The Environmental Remote Sensing and Geoinformatics Labratory of the School of Geographic Science and Urban Planning provided the land-cover data. The National Science Foundation (NSF) Grant No. BCS-1026865, Central Arizona–Phoenix Long-Term Ecological Research (CAP LTER), NSF Grant No. SES-0951366, Decision Center for a Desert City II, NSF-DNS Grant No. 1419593, and USDA NIFA Grant No. 2015-67003-23508 provided support. In addition to the aforementioned organizations, we would like to thank the three anonymous reviewers and the editor for their insightful comments and suggestions.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, 85287, USA

    Yiannis Kamarianakis

  2. School of Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, 85298, USA

    Xiaoxiao Li, B. L. Turner II & Anthony J. Brazel

  3. School of Sustainability, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, 85298, USA

    B. L. Turner II

  4. Global Institute of Sustainability, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, 85287, USA

    B. L. Turner II & Anthony J. Brazel

Authors
  1. Yiannis Kamarianakis
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  4. Anthony J. Brazel
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Correspondence to Yiannis Kamarianakis.

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Author Biographies

Yiannis KAMARIANAKIS received a PhD in mathematical economics and finance at the University of Crete, Greece in 2007, and a M.Sc. in Statistics and B.Sc. in Mathematics, respectively, at Athens University of Economics and Business, Athens in 2000 and University of Crete, Greece in 1998. He is an assistant professor at School of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences, Arizona State University (ASU). Before joining ASU he worked as a postdoctoral researcher at IBM Research and Cornell University. He is the author of more than 50 publications relating to applied statistical modeling, with an emphasis on environmental applications.

Xiaoxiao LI received a PhD in forestry and natural resources at Purdue University, Indiana in 2011, and a MA and BA, respectively, at Clark University, Massachusetts in 2005 and Zhejiang University, China in 2005. She is a research analyst working at School of Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning and Global Institute of Sustainability, Arizona State University. She works on multiple resolution land-cover and land-use classifications for the Central Arizona-Phoenix Long-term Ecological Research program and examines impact of fine-resolution land system architecture on urban sustainability, foremost the urban heat island effect.

B. L. TURNER II received a PhD in geography at the University of Wisconsin, Madison in 1974, and a MA and BA in geography in 1968 and 1969, respectively, at the University of Texas at Austin. He is the Gilbert F. White Professor of Environment and Society and Regent’s Professor, School of Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning and School of Sustainability, Arizona State University. He is the author of more than 200 publications dealing with humanenvironment relationships, ranging from ancient Maya agriculture and environment in Mexico and Central America to contemporary global land-use change and sustainability science. Dr. Turner is member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences and American Academy of Arts of Sciences, and serves as Associate Editor, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, and on numerous national and international panels and committees addressing land change and sustainability science.

Anthony J. BRAZEL received a PhD in geography at the University of Michigan in 1972 and an MA in geography (1965) and BA in Mathematics (1963), respectively, at Rutgers University. He is an Emeritus Professor in the School of Geographical Sciences & Urban Planning at Arizona State University. He served as governorappointed State Climatologist for Arizona for 20 years and was elected Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science for his early career research on ice and snow processes in high mountains. He is the recipient of the Climate Specialty Group Lifetime Achievement Award of the American Association of Geographers; The Helmut E. Landsberg Award on urban environments from the American Meteorological Society; the Luke Howard Award from the International Association on Urban Climate; and the Jeffrey Cook Prize in Desert Architecture for urban climate research from the J. Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. Dr. Brazel has authored more than 200 publications on topics related to physical geography and boundary layer climate, ice and snow processes, and desert urban climatology.

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Kamarianakis, Y., Li, X., Turner, B.L. et al. On the effects of landscape configuration on summer diurnal temperatures in urban residential areas: application in Phoenix, AZ. Front. Earth Sci. 13, 445–463 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11707-017-0678-4

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Keywords

  • land system architecture
  • urban heat island effect
  • linear mixed-effects models
  • near-surface air temperature
  • land-cover configuration