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Urban heat islands and landscape heterogeneity: linking spatiotemporal variations in surface temperatures to land-cover and socioeconomic patterns

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Abstract

The urban heat island (UHI) phenomenon is a common environmental problem in urban landscapes which affects both climatic and ecological processes. Here we examined the diurnal and seasonal characteristics of the Surface UHI in relation to land-cover properties in the Phoenix metropolitan region, located in the northern Sonoran desert, Arizona, USA. Surface temperature patterns derived from the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer for two day-night pairs of imagery from the summer (June) and the autumn (October) seasons were analyzed. Although the urban core was generally warmer than the rest of the area (especially at night), no consistent trends were found along the urbanization gradient. October daytime data showed that most of the urbanized area acted as a heat sink. Temperature patterns also revealed intra-urban temperature differences that were as large as, or even larger than, urban–rural differences. Regression analyses confirmed the important role of vegetation (daytime) and pavements (nighttime) in explaining spatio-temporal variation of surface temperatures. While these variables appear to be the main drivers of surface temperatures, their effects on surface temperatures are mediated considerably by humans as suggested by the high correlation between daytime temperatures and median family income. At night, however, the neighborhood socio-economic status was a much less controlling factor of surface temperatures. Finally, this study utilized geographically weighted regression which accounts for spatially varying relationships, and as such it is a more appropriate analytical framework for conducting research involving multiple spatial data layers with autocorrelated structures.

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Acknowledgments

We appreciate the extensive help provided by Anthony Brazel and Susanne Grossman-Clarke. Chris Eisinger helped with ASTER data processing, and Chris M. Clark advised on data analyses. We thank David Iwaniec, Darrel Jenerette, and two anonymous reviewers for their helpful comments on an earlier version of the manuscript. This research was supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. DEB-0423704, Central Arizona-Phoenix Long-Term Ecological Research (CAP LTER) and under Grant No. BCS-0508002 (Biocomplexity/CNH). Any opinions, findings and conclusions or recommendation expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation (NSF).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, P.O. Box 874501, Tempe, AZ, 85287-4501, USA

    Alexander Buyantuyev & Jianguo Wu

  2. Global Institute of Sustainability, Arizona State University, P.O. Box 874501, Tempe, AZ, 85287-4501, USA

    Alexander Buyantuyev & Jianguo Wu

  3. Sino-US Center for Conservation, Energy, and Sustainability Science (SUCCESS), Inner Mongolia University, 010021, Hohhot, China

    Alexander Buyantuyev & Jianguo Wu

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  1. Alexander Buyantuyev
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Correspondence to Alexander Buyantuyev.

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Buyantuyev, A., Wu, J. Urban heat islands and landscape heterogeneity: linking spatiotemporal variations in surface temperatures to land-cover and socioeconomic patterns. Landscape Ecol 25, 17–33 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10980-009-9402-4

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