Global Urban Heat Island Mitigation - Chapter 4: Urban heat island: land cover changes, management, and mitigation strategies

Urbanization has resulted in brisk and abrupt expansion of the artificial surface within the cities. Replacement of the natural surfaces by artificial surfaces alters the surface characteristics, and hence, the variation in the interaction of the surface with the atmosphere leads to the change in the surface dynamics. Remote sensing (RS)-based approach can be considered for estimating the land surface temperature (LST) and land use land cover (LULC) classes over the urban areas to quantify the urban heat island (UHI) patterns and its intensity. Different RS indices are discussed that are appropriate for identifying the built-up areas and the dry lands within the cities and the hotspots over these areas as well. The land cover management strategies for reducing the urban heat and temperature specifically LST are also discussed. Various mitigation strategies for diminishing UHI are analyzed focusing on vegetation cover and water bodies.