Impact of land use changes on the land surface thermal environment in Nanchang, Jiangxi province, China

Abstract

Throughout human history, human activities have resulted in land use and land cover changes (LUCC) and can have a direct impact on the land surface thermal environment (LSTE). In the existing studies, the holistic nature of changes in land use and land cover (LULC) has been neglected in favor of focusing on the interactions between different LULC types and the land surface thermal environment. This study used ArcGIS Pro 3.0, ENVI 5.3, and SPSS software to construct a contribution index model and stepwise regression equation to investigate the relationship between LULC type, structure, and pattern changes and LSTE changes in Nanchang City, Jiangxi Province, China, from 1990 to 2020. The findings revealed that 1) rapid urbanization has led to a surge in the area of built-up land and a decrease in the area of arable land in Nanchang; between 1990 and 2020, the area of built-up land in Nanchang increased by 433.29 km2, while the area of arable land decreased by 291.99 km2; 2) The land surface temperature (LST) was divided into five classes according to the equal spacing method, and the areas with the highest and lowest temperature classes were the high temperature zone and the low temperature zone, respectively. Over the past 30 years, the LSTE in Nanchang has gradually deteriorated, with the area of the low temperature zone shrinking by 554.2 km2 and the area of other classes appearing to increase significantly; 3) the contribution index and stepwise regression equation demonstrate that the primary reasons for the worsening of the LSTE are an increase in the scale of cultivated land and construction land. It was found that rationalization of urban LULC type, structure, and pattern can effectively reduce land surface temperature.