The effect of extremely low sky view factor on land surface temperatures in urban residential areas

Abstract

© 2022 Elsevier LtdCities are becoming hotter due to global climate change and urban heat island intensification. This has resulted in an increased number of hospitalizations and deaths during heatwaves. Previous studies have reported a positive correlation between moderate to high sky view factor (SVF) values and land surface temperature (LST), but extremely low SVF situations that occur in urbanized residential areas have not been fully studied. This study investigated the relationship between SVF and summertime LST for urbanized residential areas ranging from very open to very closed considering external factors. Similar to previous studies, the results showed that low-rise detached housing was associated with a higher SVF and a higher LST than high-rise multifamily housing because the ground surface received more direct solar radiation. However, when the SVF was extremely low (less than 0.2) because of being surrounded by high-rise high-density flat-type apartments, this relationship was reversed due to the higher anthropogenic heat, lower ventilation performance, lower green infrastructure, and decreased longwave radiation even though daytime. This has major implications for the health and well-being of residents in high-density urban residential areas as they will receive a higher terrestrial radiation load than previously thought, a dangerous situation in the event of heatwaves. (200 Words)