Morphological and Environmental Drivers of Urban Heat Islands: A Geospatial Model of Nighttime Land Surface Temperature in Iberian Cities
This study explores how urban morphological and environmental factors influence Urban Heat Islands (UHIs) using a geospatial modeling approach. The aim of the research is to develop a methodology to assess UHI effects, emphasizing the role of urban morphology, land use, and vegetation in nighttime h...
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MDPI AG
2025-05-01
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| author | Gustavo Hernández-Herráez Saray Martínez-Lastras Susana Lagüela José A. Martín-Jiménez Susana Del Pozo |
| author_facet | Gustavo Hernández-Herráez Saray Martínez-Lastras Susana Lagüela José A. Martín-Jiménez Susana Del Pozo |
| author_sort | Gustavo Hernández-Herráez |
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| description | This study explores how urban morphological and environmental factors influence Urban Heat Islands (UHIs) using a geospatial modeling approach. The aim of the research is to develop a methodology to assess UHI effects, emphasizing the role of urban morphology, land use, and vegetation in nighttime heat accumulation. A micro-scale analysis with a 50 m resolution is conducted by integrating a custom QGIS plugin with open-access data, ensuring broad applicability. The 50 m resolution was chosen because it allows for the capture of local variations in UHI intensity while maintaining the scalability of the urban analysis across different city contexts. Non-parametric statistical analyses (ANOVA, Kruskal–Wallis H test, and correlation assessments) were used to evaluate the relationships between the urban parameters—wind corridors, altitude, vegetation (NDVI), surface water (NDWI), and the Sky View Factor (SVF)—and Nighttime Land Surface Temperature (LST). Given that UHI variations during summer, particularly in cities of the Iberian Peninsula, are closely linked to summer heat severity, this factor was considered to classify the cities for the study. Correlation analyses confirm that all tested factors influence LST, with wind corridors being the least significant. The model performance evaluation shows the highest errors in cities with lower summer severity (RMSE = 1.586 °C, MAE = 1.2686 °C, MAPE = 6.99%) and the best performance in warmer cities (RMSE = 1.4 °C, MAE = 1.14 °C, MAPE = 4.5%). Validation in four cities of the Iberian Peninsula confirmed the model’s reliability, with the worst RMSE value of 2.04 °C. These findings contribute to a better understanding of the factors driving UHIs and provide a scalable assessment framework. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-0b6d382320a94f73a7040d1f98a4eeaa |
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| issn | 2076-3417 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-05-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
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| series | Applied Sciences |
| spelling | doaj-art-0b6d382320a94f73a7040d1f98a4eeaa2025-08-20T02:33:01ZengMDPI AGApplied Sciences2076-34172025-05-011511609310.3390/app15116093Morphological and Environmental Drivers of Urban Heat Islands: A Geospatial Model of Nighttime Land Surface Temperature in Iberian CitiesGustavo Hernández-Herráez0Saray Martínez-Lastras1Susana Lagüela2José A. Martín-Jiménez3Susana Del Pozo4Department of Cartographic and Terrain Engineering, Higher Polytechnic School of Ávila, Universidad de Salamanca, Hornos Caleros 50, 05003 Ávila, SpainDepartment of Cartographic and Terrain Engineering, Higher Polytechnic School of Ávila, Universidad de Salamanca, Hornos Caleros 50, 05003 Ávila, SpainDepartment of Cartographic and Terrain Engineering, Higher Polytechnic School of Ávila, Universidad de Salamanca, Hornos Caleros 50, 05003 Ávila, SpainDepartment of Cartographic and Terrain Engineering, Higher Polytechnic School of Ávila, Universidad de Salamanca, Hornos Caleros 50, 05003 Ávila, SpainDepartment of Cartographic and Terrain Engineering, Higher Polytechnic School of Ávila, Universidad de Salamanca, Hornos Caleros 50, 05003 Ávila, SpainThis study explores how urban morphological and environmental factors influence Urban Heat Islands (UHIs) using a geospatial modeling approach. The aim of the research is to develop a methodology to assess UHI effects, emphasizing the role of urban morphology, land use, and vegetation in nighttime heat accumulation. A micro-scale analysis with a 50 m resolution is conducted by integrating a custom QGIS plugin with open-access data, ensuring broad applicability. The 50 m resolution was chosen because it allows for the capture of local variations in UHI intensity while maintaining the scalability of the urban analysis across different city contexts. Non-parametric statistical analyses (ANOVA, Kruskal–Wallis H test, and correlation assessments) were used to evaluate the relationships between the urban parameters—wind corridors, altitude, vegetation (NDVI), surface water (NDWI), and the Sky View Factor (SVF)—and Nighttime Land Surface Temperature (LST). Given that UHI variations during summer, particularly in cities of the Iberian Peninsula, are closely linked to summer heat severity, this factor was considered to classify the cities for the study. Correlation analyses confirm that all tested factors influence LST, with wind corridors being the least significant. The model performance evaluation shows the highest errors in cities with lower summer severity (RMSE = 1.586 °C, MAE = 1.2686 °C, MAPE = 6.99%) and the best performance in warmer cities (RMSE = 1.4 °C, MAE = 1.14 °C, MAPE = 4.5%). Validation in four cities of the Iberian Peninsula confirmed the model’s reliability, with the worst RMSE value of 2.04 °C. These findings contribute to a better understanding of the factors driving UHIs and provide a scalable assessment framework.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/15/11/6093urban heat islandland surface temperaturebuildingsurban morphologyNDVINDWI |
| spellingShingle | Gustavo Hernández-Herráez Saray Martínez-Lastras Susana Lagüela José A. Martín-Jiménez Susana Del Pozo Morphological and Environmental Drivers of Urban Heat Islands: A Geospatial Model of Nighttime Land Surface Temperature in Iberian Cities Applied Sciences urban heat island land surface temperature buildings urban morphology NDVI NDWI |
| title | Morphological and Environmental Drivers of Urban Heat Islands: A Geospatial Model of Nighttime Land Surface Temperature in Iberian Cities |
| title_full | Morphological and Environmental Drivers of Urban Heat Islands: A Geospatial Model of Nighttime Land Surface Temperature in Iberian Cities |
| title_fullStr | Morphological and Environmental Drivers of Urban Heat Islands: A Geospatial Model of Nighttime Land Surface Temperature in Iberian Cities |
| title_full_unstemmed | Morphological and Environmental Drivers of Urban Heat Islands: A Geospatial Model of Nighttime Land Surface Temperature in Iberian Cities |
| title_short | Morphological and Environmental Drivers of Urban Heat Islands: A Geospatial Model of Nighttime Land Surface Temperature in Iberian Cities |
| title_sort | morphological and environmental drivers of urban heat islands a geospatial model of nighttime land surface temperature in iberian cities |
| topic | urban heat island land surface temperature buildings urban morphology NDVI NDWI |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/15/11/6093 |
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