Analyzing the urban heat island characteristics and mitigation strategies in eight arid and semi-arid cities

Abstract

The aim of the study is two folds: first, the study analyze the formation of the Urban Heat Island (UHI) in eight different cities in arid and semi-arid region. The analysis is based on land cover / land use (LCLU) classification (urban, green, and bare areas). Second, the study synthesize the mitigation strategies to reduce the land surface temperature (LST) and hence the UHI effects in the arid and semi-arid cities. The study found that the bare areas has the highest mean LST compared to the urban and green areas. Furthermore, the study found that the LST varies in each of the LCLU categories and hence some areas of the three categories have LST lower or higher than the other categories and hence not always one category has the highest LST compared to the other categories. The outcomes of this study may have key implications for urban planners seeking to mitigate urban heat island effects in arid and semi-arid urban areas.