Exploring the Thermal Environment of Kunming, China: Based on Local Climate Zones
摘要
The advancement of urbanization can exacerbate the heat island effect, bringing certain impacts and challenges to human settlement environment and sustainable development. Land Surface Temperature is a crucial metric for highlighting variations in urban thermal environments. Utilizing Landsat-8 OLI/TIRS satellite remote sensing data, this research offers a detailed examination of the spatial distribution and changes in LST through the lens of Local Climate Zones. The results indicated that: (1) The area occupied by built-up types is 13.68% lower than that of natural cover types. Additionally, urbanization has led to the fragmentation of blue-green ecosystems in central urban regions. (2) The high temperature zone (24.11–27.75 °C) occupies 3.43% of the total area, mainly found in developed regions along the study area’s boundary and in patches of bare soil within urban districts. In contrast, the low-temperature zone (11.64–13.60 °C) covers 13.11%, primarily including Dianchi Lake and several smaller scattered lakes. The distribution of temperature zones is closely linked to building functions and the arrangement of blue-green ecosystems. (3) Overall, the LST of developed land types is higher compared to natural cover types, while high-rise buildings with low density can achieve more effective cooling. Among natural categories, the average LSTs of dense trees and water is 5.3 °C lower than built-up areas, showing a strong cooling effect. In contrast, paved ground and bare soil have average LSTs about 2 °C higher than built-up areas. This research offers a theoretical foundation for optimizing building layout and blue-green ecosystem design, contributing to the enhancement of the thermal environment.