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Complexity of the relationship between 2D/3D urban morphology and the land surface temperature: a multiscale perspective

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Abstract

Urban morphology is a crucial contributor to urban heat island (UHI) effects. However, few studies have explored the complex effect of 2D/3D urban morphology on UHIs from a multiscale perspective. In this study, we chose the central area of Jinan city, which is commonly known as the “furnace,” as the case study area. The 2D/3D urban morphology indexes-building coverage ratio (BCR) (for assessing the 2D building density), building volume density (BVD) (for assessing the 3D building density), and frontal area index (FAI) (for assessing 3D ventilation conditions) were calculated and derived to investigate the complexity of the relationship between 2D/3D urban morphology and the land surface temperature (LST) at different scales using the maximum information coefficient (MIC) and geographically weighted regression (GWR). The results indicated that (1) these 2D/3D urban morphology indexes are essential factors that are responsible for LST variation, and BCR is the most important urban morphology index affecting LST, followed by BVD and FAI. Importantly, the relationship between the BCR, BVD, FAI, and LST was an inverse U-shaped curve. (2) The relationship between 2D/3D urban morphology and LST variation showed a significant scale effect. With increased grid size, the correlation between the BCR, BVD, and FAI and the LST strengthened, “inflection point” of inverse U-shaped curve significantly declined, and their explanation rate of the LST first increased and then decreased, with a maximum value at the 700 m scale. Additionally, the FAI exerted a stronger negative effect, while the BCR and BVD generally had stronger positive effects on the LST as the grid size increased. This study extends our scientific understanding of the complex effect of urban morphology on the LST and is of great practical significance for multiscale urban thermal environment regulation.

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Abbreviations

2D:

Two-dimensional

3D:

Three-dimensional

UHI:

Urban heat island

SUHI:

Surface urban heat island

LST:

Land surface temperature

UBD:

Urban building density

FDI:

Building fractal dimension index

TIRS:

Thermal infrared sensor

BCR:

Building coverage ratio

BVD:

Building volume density

FAI:

Frontal area index

MIC:

Maximum information coefficient

GWR:

Geographically weighted regression

UBH:

Urban building height

SVF:

Sky view factor

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Acknowledgements

We would like to thank the editor and the anonymous reviewers for providing constructive comments and suggestions.

Data and materials availability

The availability of data and materials is based on personal requests.

Funding

This research was supported by the National Social Science Fund of China (No. 18BJY086).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Geography and Environment, Shandong Normal University, Jinan, 250358, China

    Yu Liu & Baolei Zhang

  2. Shandong Land Development Group Co., Ltd, Jinan, 250014, China

    Zhipeng Wang & Xuan Liu

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  1. Yu Liu
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Contributions

The manuscript was reviewed and approved for publication by all authors. Yu Liu and Baolei Zhang conceived and designed the experiments. Yu Liu, Zhipeng Wang, and Xuan Liu performed the experiments. Yu Liu, Baolei Zhang, and Xuan Liu analyzed the data. Yu Liu and Baolei Zhang wrote the paper. Zhipeng Wang and Yu Liu reviewed and revised the paper. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Baolei Zhang.

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Appendix

Appendix

Fig. 8
figure 8

Map of the building coverage ratio (BCR) spatial distribution at different grid sizes

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Fig. 9
figure 9

Map of the building volume density (BVD) spatial distribution at different grid sizes

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Fig. 10
figure 10

Map of the frontal area index (FAI) spatial distribution at different grid sizes

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Liu, Y., Wang, Z., Liu, X. et al. Complexity of the relationship between 2D/3D urban morphology and the land surface temperature: a multiscale perspective. Environ Sci Pollut Res 28, 66804–66818 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-021-15177-7

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