Comparative Analysis of Two Methods for Valuing Local Cooling Effect of Forests in Inner Mongolia Plateau
Studies have extensively examined the cooling effects of forests. Various methods exist for evaluating climate regulation at regional and global levels. Local-scale cooling effects and their valuing methods, however, remain poorly understood. In this study, the temperature difference and energy bala...
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MDPI AG
2024-11-01
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| author | Wenjing Bo Yi Xiao Jiazhe Sun Yun Cao Le Chen |
| author_facet | Wenjing Bo Yi Xiao Jiazhe Sun Yun Cao Le Chen |
| author_sort | Wenjing Bo |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Studies have extensively examined the cooling effects of forests. Various methods exist for evaluating climate regulation at regional and global levels. Local-scale cooling effects and their valuing methods, however, remain poorly understood. In this study, the temperature difference and energy balance methods were compared to assess the value of cooling services of three forest types at a local scale. Using the window searching strategy, land surface temperature and sensible heat flux differences between forest and open land were compared. The average cooling temperature of broad-leaved forests was found to be 0.229 °C, significantly higher than that of coniferous forests, at 0.205 °C, while mixed coniferous–broad-leaved forests were not significantly different to the other two types. The average sensible heat flux differences in broad-leaved, coniferous, and coniferous–broad-leaved forests were found to be 0.23, 0.079, and 0.11 MJ/m<sup>2</sup>/day, respectively. According to the correlation analysis, the sensible heat flux was significantly correlated with the cooling degree (<i>R</i> = 0.33, <i>p</i> = 0.05), suggesting consistency between the two approaches. However, the total cooling value calculated with the energy balance method was CNY 0.51 billion, significantly higher than the temperature difference method at CNY 0.11 billion. The main reason for the differences between the two approaches is the uncertainty in cooling volume and cooling time for the temperature difference method and energy balance method, respectively. The impact of vegetation on the microclimate depends on the vegetation type, topography, local climate, and other factors. It is also important to note that cooling services are not required at all times of the day, and energy differences can hardly be calculated based on the hour. However, surface radiation and evapotranspiration generally occur during the daytime, which is also when the surface temperature is high. Therefore, there is a certain coincidence with the time when cooling is needed. The energy balance method presented herein provides a novel alternative approach to assessing the cooling services of local-scale forests, offering advantages over the commonly used temperature difference approach, which is associated with large uncertainty. |
| format | Article |
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| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-11-01 |
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| series | Remote Sensing |
| spelling | doaj-art-2ab8cb7a2e0e4478a6727fe095cd9b292025-08-20T01:55:41ZengMDPI AGRemote Sensing2072-42922024-11-011623442410.3390/rs16234424Comparative Analysis of Two Methods for Valuing Local Cooling Effect of Forests in Inner Mongolia PlateauWenjing Bo0Yi Xiao1Jiazhe Sun2Yun Cao3Le Chen4Institute of Ecological Protection and Restoration, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing 100091, ChinaState Key laboratory for Urban and Regional Ecology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, ChinaInstitute of Ecological Protection and Restoration, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing 100091, ChinaNational Meteorological Center, Beijing 100081, ChinaState Key laboratory for Urban and Regional Ecology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, ChinaStudies have extensively examined the cooling effects of forests. Various methods exist for evaluating climate regulation at regional and global levels. Local-scale cooling effects and their valuing methods, however, remain poorly understood. In this study, the temperature difference and energy balance methods were compared to assess the value of cooling services of three forest types at a local scale. Using the window searching strategy, land surface temperature and sensible heat flux differences between forest and open land were compared. The average cooling temperature of broad-leaved forests was found to be 0.229 °C, significantly higher than that of coniferous forests, at 0.205 °C, while mixed coniferous–broad-leaved forests were not significantly different to the other two types. The average sensible heat flux differences in broad-leaved, coniferous, and coniferous–broad-leaved forests were found to be 0.23, 0.079, and 0.11 MJ/m<sup>2</sup>/day, respectively. According to the correlation analysis, the sensible heat flux was significantly correlated with the cooling degree (<i>R</i> = 0.33, <i>p</i> = 0.05), suggesting consistency between the two approaches. However, the total cooling value calculated with the energy balance method was CNY 0.51 billion, significantly higher than the temperature difference method at CNY 0.11 billion. The main reason for the differences between the two approaches is the uncertainty in cooling volume and cooling time for the temperature difference method and energy balance method, respectively. The impact of vegetation on the microclimate depends on the vegetation type, topography, local climate, and other factors. It is also important to note that cooling services are not required at all times of the day, and energy differences can hardly be calculated based on the hour. However, surface radiation and evapotranspiration generally occur during the daytime, which is also when the surface temperature is high. Therefore, there is a certain coincidence with the time when cooling is needed. The energy balance method presented herein provides a novel alternative approach to assessing the cooling services of local-scale forests, offering advantages over the commonly used temperature difference approach, which is associated with large uncertainty.https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/16/23/4424cooling effectsecosystem servicesforestInner Mongolia |
| spellingShingle | Wenjing Bo Yi Xiao Jiazhe Sun Yun Cao Le Chen Comparative Analysis of Two Methods for Valuing Local Cooling Effect of Forests in Inner Mongolia Plateau Remote Sensing cooling effects ecosystem services forest Inner Mongolia |
| title | Comparative Analysis of Two Methods for Valuing Local Cooling Effect of Forests in Inner Mongolia Plateau |
| title_full | Comparative Analysis of Two Methods for Valuing Local Cooling Effect of Forests in Inner Mongolia Plateau |
| title_fullStr | Comparative Analysis of Two Methods for Valuing Local Cooling Effect of Forests in Inner Mongolia Plateau |
| title_full_unstemmed | Comparative Analysis of Two Methods for Valuing Local Cooling Effect of Forests in Inner Mongolia Plateau |
| title_short | Comparative Analysis of Two Methods for Valuing Local Cooling Effect of Forests in Inner Mongolia Plateau |
| title_sort | comparative analysis of two methods for valuing local cooling effect of forests in inner mongolia plateau |
| topic | cooling effects ecosystem services forest Inner Mongolia |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/16/23/4424 |
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