Mapping micro-urban heat islands

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A analysis of a portion of Dallas was done to locate heat islands and identify what causes them. A heat island is commonly described as urban areas that produces higher background temperatures than surrounding rural areas. These islands have been noted to increase overall temperatures in cities, causing ecological decline in rural areas within the city.

This study utilized Landsat TM data as well as GIS to create a map of heat islands within the search area. Once the surface temperature was calculated the pixels were color coded relating to different temperature ranges. Then the temperature data was then merged with a map that showed land use.

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The merging of these two maps created view of where heat islands were located and what materials caused them. Heat islands accounted for 16% of the area analysed. The biggest cause of them were found to be impervious cover such as parking lots and roads. Other culprits were areas with bare soil and new neighborhoods. This study found that urban areas experience a 2-8 °F increase in temperature when compared to rural areas away from the city. For cities to reduce heat islands, they would need to limit high heat emitting surfaces such as asphalt and bare soil. Cities would also benefit from larger parks with more tree cover. Reducing impervious surfaces and increasing tree cover in cites would lead to fewer heat island and would help to lower temperatures in urban areas.

Aniello, C., Morgan, K., Busbey, A., & Newland, L. (1995). Mapping micro-urban heat islands using Landsat TM and a GIS. Computers & Geosciences, 21(8), 965969-967.

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