Remote Sensing Based Fine-Scale Urban Thermal Environment

Dear Colleagues,

As population and the economy increase, world‐wide urbanization is an irreversible trend. Rapid urbanization has improved various aspects of human living conditions. However, global climate change resulting from urbanization has also negatively affected the quality and comfort of urban living. Researchers have explored two broad categories of factors underpinning global climate change: a) spatial factors—the impacts of changes to the spatial aspects of the Earth’s environment (e.g. land use and land cover change) on climate change at the global scale, intercontinental scale, regional scale; and b) temporal factors, that is, how climate factors vary between different temporal scales such as yearly, seasonal, diurnal, and nocturnal.

In addition to global climate change, urban areas seem to be experiencing stronger climate effects, that is, local heat islands resulting from unreasonable urban morphology and planning as a result of urban sprawl, the high density of impervious surfaces as human-made structures replace vegetation, greenery, and water, the modification of air ventilation patterns from the mutation of built-up structures and the spatial layout, as well as waste heat emissions from residential and industrial sources. Furthermore, high air temperatures amplify air pollution and influence the intensity and frequency of rainfall. In summary, an urban microclimate environment is a response to complex energy and water balances, as well as air movement. More importantly, urban areas host more than half of the growing global population and are responsible for 70% of global greenhouse gas emissions. The urban thermal environment, as part of global climate change, shows more dramatic changes and a more pronounced impact on human health. Therefore, the study of the fine-scale urban thermal environment is of more significance to human beings and sustainable development.

Remote sensing technology will play an important role in urban climate change adaptation (UCCA). Compared with traditional thermal infrared remote sensing technology, 3D photogrammetry and light detection and ranging (LiDAR) could be used to monitor three-dimensional building forms, vegetation canopy, and surface temperature. High-resolution remote sensing satellites can extract refined urban surfaces (urban roads, water bodies, etc.) and building management measures (green roofs and white roofs). High time-resolution satellites can monitor the temporal variation of the urban thermal environment and the impact of vegetation on the urban thermal environment due to phenological characteristics. More remote sensing technologies, e.g. unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), which could reveal spatio-temporal patterns, and the formation mechanisms and control measures of the fine-scale urban thermal environment, are worth developing.

We are requesting papers for a Special Issue of Remote Sensing on remote sensing-based, fine-scale, urban thermal environments. Specific topics include, but are not limited to

• Novel data. Newly-developed remote sensing datasets, indices, and sensors for monitoring the fine-scale urban thermal environment, especially the three-dimensional thermal environment.
• New Technologies. New remote sensing technologies for retrieving parameters related to fine-scale urban thermal environment monitoring. Especially UAVs.
• Applied research. Remote sensing applications for the parameterization of refined urban surfaces in urban climate simulation models.
• Basic scientific research. New remote sensing methodologies and technologies for temporal and spatial patterns, formation mechanisms and control measures of the fine-scale urban thermal environment.
• Engineering practice research. Fine-scale engineering practices (green roofs, white roofs, ventilation corridor, etc.) for adapting and mitigating the urban thermal environment based on remote sensing design.
• Management policy research. Remote sensing-based refined management and control policies of the influence of human activities (urban planning, anthropogenic heat emissions, energy use, population density and structure, transportation, tourism, etc.) on the urban thermal environment.

We especially encourage submissions that combine different methodologies such as remote sensing, geographic information systems, numerical simulations, urban planning and design, etc., to understand the overarching topic.

Prof. Jun Liu
Assoc. Prof. Jianhong (Cecilia) Xia
Dr. Yaohuan Huang
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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• Fine-Scale Urban Thermal Environments
• High Temporal and Spatial Resolutions
• Urban Climate Change Adaptation
• Management Policy
• Remote Sensing