Open AccessThe influence of land use on the spatial distribution and intensity of heat islands in Slovenia
Author(s) -
Anica Simčič,
Petra Pečan,
Mojca Nastran,
Milan Kobal
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
acta silvae et ligni
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2335-3953
pISSN - 2335-3112
DOI - 10.20315/asetl.125.2
Subject(s) - spatial distribution , land cover , fragmentation (computing) , urban heat island , physical geography , intensity (physics) , land use , environmental science , geography , common spatial pattern , distribution (mathematics) , remote sensing , meteorology , ecology , statistics , mathematics , mathematical analysis , physics , quantum mechanics , biology
Heat islands (HI) are a common anthropogenic phenomenon and are defined as artificial surfaces (urban areas) that have a higher average temperature than their surroundings (rural areas). The aim of this work was to determine the influence of land use on the spatial distribution and intensity (HIi ) of HI in Slovenia. The MODIS Land Surface Temperature (LST) and Corine Land Cover (CLC) databases were used to perform the analysis. Within the identified HI, two HI levels were determined based on temperature difference. The results revealed a statistically significant negative correlation between HIi and both forest co%ver and forest fragmentation (forest edge density and ratio of mean forest patch size to HI size). Artificial surface was positively correlated with HIi . The results contribute to the understanding of the spatial distribution of HI and HIi and provide informati%on for spatial planning and policy-making to reduce the negative impact of HI.