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Using Landsat 8 data to compare percent impervious surface area and normalized difference vegetation index as indicators of urban heat island effects in Connecticut, USA

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Abstract

This empirical research examines the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and the percent impervious surface area (%ISA) as indicators of urban heat island (UHI) effects, using the relationships between land surface temperature (LST), %ISA, and NDVI. Landsat 8 Operational Land Imager and Thermal Infrared Sensor data were used to estimate the LST in Connecticut at different times. A map of the percent impervious surface was generated using the Impervious Surface Analysis Tool developed by the Center for Land Use Education and Research and distributed through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Strong linear relationships between LST and %ISA exist, as stated in previous studies, whereas the relationship between LST and NDVI is evidently affected by the seasons. As the patterns of LST in urban areas are influenced by the UHI, the results demonstrate that %ISA is a more reliable indicator of UHI effects than NDVI. Thus, %ISA could be a promising alternative for use in the quantitative analysis of LST when studying UHI effects.

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Acknowledgements

This project was supported by ConnecticutView through funding from AmericaView program. Supports from the Department of Natural Resources and Environment, University of Connecticut (USA), Dr. Daniel L. Civco, and the College of Geographical Science, Inner Mongolia Normal University (China) are gratefully acknowledged.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Infrastructure Engineering, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, 3000, Australia

    Zhiyuan Yang

  2. Department of Natural Resources and Environment, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, 06269, USA

    Zhiyuan Yang, Chandi Witharana & James Hurd

  3. College of Geographical Science, Inner Mongolia Normal University, Hohhot, 010022, China

    Kao Wang, Runmei Hao & Siqin Tong

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  1. Zhiyuan Yang
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  2. Chandi Witharana
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  3. James Hurd
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  4. Kao Wang
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Correspondence to Zhiyuan Yang.

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Yang, Z., Witharana, C., Hurd, J. et al. Using Landsat 8 data to compare percent impervious surface area and normalized difference vegetation index as indicators of urban heat island effects in Connecticut, USA. Environ Earth Sci 79, 424 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-020-09159-0

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