Publications

Gui, X; Wang, LC; Yao, R; Yu, DQ; Li, CA (2019). Investigating the urbanization process and its impact on vegetation change and urban heat island in Wuhan, China. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH, 26(30), 30808-30825.

Abstract
Rapid urbanization significantly changes vegetation coverage and heat distribution, which threatens the sustainable development and the quality of life. As the largest developing city in Central China, Wuhan was chosen as the experimental region. This study investigated the urbanization process of Wuhan from 1989 to 2917 based on Landsat data. Combined with MODIS EVI (Enhanced Vegetation Index) and LST (Land Surface Temperature) data, vegetation disturbance and surface urban heat island (SUHI) caused by urbanization were discussed for 2001-2017. Furthermore, correlation between increment EVI (urban EVI minus rural EVI) and increment LST (urban LST minus rural LST) was also conducted. The results were as follows: (1) Wuhan experienced a strong urbanization over the past 29 years, with an increasing urban expansion rate and the altered dominant urban expansion pattern (edge expansion and infilling). After the enhanced vegetation functions and urban increased structures, the urbanization finally caused the fragmented patches and irregular urban shapes. (2) Urbanization had a positive effect on LST but a negative effect on EVI. From 2001 to 2017, the highest increasing rate of increment LST for the old urban area (OUA) and urbanized area (UA) was both observed in summer daytime (OUA, 0.106 degrees C/a; UA, 0.207 degrees C/a). The decreasing rate of increment EVI reached the highest value in summer (OUA, 0.00697/a; UA, 0.00298/a). (3) There was a strong negative correlation (except spring and winter for OUA) between increment EVI and increment LST in daytime, which proved that the activity of vegetation in daytime could relieve LST to a certain extent. This study clarifies the dynamic urbanization process of Wuhan and discusses its impacts on vegetation change and SUHI. Efficiently investigating urbanization process and quantifying its impacts on urban environment are critical for regional ecological conservation.

DOI:
10.1007/s11356-019-06273-w

ISSN:
0944-1344