Advances in remote sensing in measuring urban heat island effect and its management

Abstract

The urban environment has undergone rapid change as a result of urbanization and the increase in global temperature, which has affected the energy balance and heat fluxes. The urban heat island (UHI) phenomenon is brought on by these changes in geometry, building materials, land use, and land cover, among other factors, which raise the temperature in cities relative to their rural and suburban surroundings. The microclimate, ecology, air quality, and infrastructure are all significantly impacted by the UHI effect, which also has a significant impact on energy needs. Meteorological data cannot be used to measure the UHI effect due to large spatial heterogeneity and the lack of dense weather station networks. Remote sensing offers an effective way to track, measure, and manage the UHI effect in such circumstances. Thermal remote sensing technology has made it possible to estimate the UHI effect in high spatial and temporal resolution. The effectiveness of the technique in multicity analysis has been reported in several studies, prompting research to advance the techniques. Urban ecosystems can be transformed from unsustainable to sustainable one on a global scale with the development of multispectral to hyperspectral imaging. © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.