Analysis of the impact of land use on spatiotemporal patterns of surface urban heat island in rapid urbanization, a case study of Shanghai, China

In the trend of global warming and urbanization, frequent extreme weather influences the life of citizens seriously. Shanghai, as a typical mega-city in China that has been successful in urbanization, suffers seriously from the urban heat island (UHI) effect. The research concentrates on the spatial and temporal pattern of surface UHI and land use. Then, the relation between them are further discussed. The results show that for the last 15 years, the UHI effect of Shanghai has been increasing continuously in both intensity and area. The UHI extends from the city center toward the suburban area. Along with the year, the ratio in area of Agricultural Land (AL), Wetland (WL), and Bare Land (BL) has decreased. On the contrary, Construction Land (CL) and Green Land (GL) have increased. The average land surface temperature (LST) rankings for each research year from high to low were all CL, BL, GL, AL, and WL. CL contributed the most to the UHI effect, while WL and GL contributed the most to mitigate the UHI. The conclusion provides practical advice aimed to mitigate the UHI effect for urban planning authorities.