地理学报(英文版)

Journal of Geographical Sciences ›› 2007, Vol. 17 ›› Issue (4): 387-398.doi: 10.1007/s11442-007-0387-0

• Climate and Environmental Change • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Impact of urban expansion on regional tempera-ture change in the Yangtze River Delta

DU Yin1, XIE Zhiqing2, ZENG Yan2,3, SHI Yafeng3, WU Jingang1   

  1. 1. Department of Atmospheric Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093, China|
    2. Jiangsu Institute of Meteorological Sciences, Nanjing 210008, China|
    3. Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology, CAS, Nanjing 210008, China
  • Received:2007-05-16 Revised:2007-07-20 Online:2007-12-25 Published:2010-09-18
  • Supported by:

    Concentrated fund item of national science and technology foundation work, No.2005DKA31700-06-20; Jiangsu Natural Science Foundation, No.BK2005163; Climate change special foundation of China Meteoro-logical Administration, No.CCSF2006-32

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Abstract:

Based on non-radiance-calibrated DMSP/OLS nighttime light imagery from 1992 to 2003, urban land area statistical data, meteorological data and land surface temperature data retrieved by MODIS and NOAA/AVHRR data, the influence of urbanization on regional cli-matic trend of temperature in the Yangtze River Delta (YRD) was analyzed. Conclusions are as follows: 1) There is a significant urbanization process from 1992 to 2003 in the YRD. Four city clusters of Nanjing–Zhenjiang–Yangzhou, Suzhou–Wuxi–Changzhou, Shanghai and Hangzhou Bay form a zigzag city belt. The increase rate of annual mean air temperature in city-belt is 0.28–0.44℃/10a from 1991 to 2005, which is far larger than that of non-city-belt. 2) The urban heat island (UHI) effect on regional mean air temperature in different seasons is summer>autumn>spring>winter. 3) The UHI intensity and the urban total population logarithm are creditably correlated. 4) The UHI effect made the regional annual mean air temperature increased 0.072℃ from 1961 to 2005, of which 0.047℃ from 1991 to 2005, and the annual maximum air temperature increased 0.162℃, of which 0.083℃ from 1991 to 2005. All these indicating that the urban expansion in the YRD from 1991 to 2005 may be regarded as a serious climate signal.

Key words: Yangtze River Delta, urban heat island, mega city, urbanization process