2015-00088

Francisco, Timothy Joshua F.

Review of Related Literature for Thesis Proposal

Correlation of Urban Heat Island Phenomenon and Air Pollutants

(Author’s note: The first three paragraphs are taken from my own thesis proposal)

A study conducted by Li, et. al., (2018) showed a positive correlation between aerosol

concentrations and relatively high land surface temperature values as well as having consistent

spatial patterns showing that temperature hotspots coincide with aerosol hotspots.

Kurniati and Vilas (2016) also cites that certain environmental factors contribute to the development

of UHIs. Such examples made were greenhouse gases, emissions of pollutants such as carbon

monoxide, nitric oxides and suspended particulate matter in the air.

Founda, Pierros & Zerefos (2015) further supports the previous statements with their study; they

found that the development of the urban heat island phenomenon in Athens, Greece have been

caused by the increasing anthropogenic emissions due to the increase in the usage of automobiles

and various air-cooling systems which in consequence, has also affected the concentration of air

pollutants.

Additionally, Ziaul and Swades (2018) found in their study that land surface temperature assessment

using Landsat8 data and respiratory particulate matter concentrations were especially high in built

up local climatic zones such as commercial zones, major roads, compact low-rise buildings, and open

mid-rise buildings. They have also sighted that high population density, traffic volume and narrow

house spacing contributes to the high measurements in the LSTs and respiratory particulate matter.

Shaker et. al. (2019) mentions that cities affected by the urban heat island phenomenon forces the

power plants, that provide energy for the cities in question, to increase energy production due to
the increased air and surface temperature. It instinctively forces residents of a highly urbanized city

to use cooling appliances more frequently. This is in turn also increases the output of greenhouse

gases as well as aerosols and other pollutants in the air.

Usage of Landsat 8 for Air Quality Monitoring

One study conducted by Omari, Abuelgasim, & Alhebsi (2019) utilizerd Landsat 8 OLI data in aerosol

optical depth (AOD) retrieval is by solving for the radiative transfer equation (which is the same

underlying principle used in AOD retrieval for MODIS Terra and Aqua however the specific methods

in executing it differs greatly and is dependent on the presence of vegetation). In order to retrieve

the AOD data, the researchers first had to choose an accurate land surface reflectance (LSR) dataset

since LSR contributes to the retrieval of AOD data. The researchers then used a Look-up-table (LUT)

that utilizes the radiative transfer model 6S since this allows them to create a simulated TOA

Reflectance surface then comparing this simulated TOA reflectance with observed values using a

best fit model to retrieve AOD values. Extracted AOD values were then compared to ground truth

data from AERONET stations. Results from the study show an R-squared value of 0.67 thus making

Landsat 8 datasets viable for air quality monitoring for smaller regions.

A similar study conducted by Ou et. al (2017) in which AOD data was retrieved from Landsat 8 OLI

images using the same 6S radiative transfer model to produce TOA reflectance values to be

compared with observed TOA reflectance for AOD retrieval however the researchers also utilized

MODIS’s Dark Target (DT) method and visible near-infrared (VNIR) atmospheric correction method

(ACM), each assisted with the 6S radiative transfer model. The results were also verified using

ground truth measurements taken from AERONET stations. Results of the study show that both DT

and VNIR-ACM method could be used to extract AOD data with the DT method having an R-squared

value of 0.630 and with the latter method having an R-squared value of 0.556.

Saraswat, Mishra, & Kumar (2017) research focused on estimating PM10 measurements using

Landsat 8 OLI datasets instead of AOD data. The researchers utilized L8 OLI images, land surface
reflectance data, and ground truth data of PM 10 concentration measurements from the monitoring

stations. The L8 images were converted to TOA reflectance values and this TOA reflectance values

was then subtracted by the surface reflectance values so as to obtain the atmospheric reflectance

value. Using the atmospheric reflectance values at the coordinates of the monitoring station and the

PM 10 values measured by the monitoring station, a simple best fit method regression was used to

determine the correlation between the two variables (Atmospheric Reflectance vs PM10). Results

produced a PM 10 model with an R-squared value of 0.8029 and said model was used to create a PM

10 concentration map.

A study by Luo et. al (2014) employs a similar methodology in retrieving PM10 measurements using

Landsat 8 OLI images however unlike the method utilized by Saraswat, Mishra, & Kumar (2017), (i) it

first retrieves aerosol optical thickness (AOT) before retrieving PM10 measurements, (ii) it does not

require a look-up table (LUT) that utilizes the 6S radiative transfer model, (iii) it can be utilized on

both dark and bright pixels (previous studies involving AOD/AOT retrieval always use dense dark

vegetation [DDV] to determine bright and dark pixels in an image to calculate AOT however, the

method depended on the number of dark pixel targets in an image, thus DDV becomes severely

limited in urbanized cities where there can be a mix of dark and bright pixels). The AOT retrieved

from the images are then validated using AERONET AOT data and correlated with ground truth

PM10 measurements.

An older study conducted by Hadjimitsis (2009) utilizes an iterative method in retrieving AOT data

over land. As with studies before, the methodology utilized radiative transfer computations for AOT

determination however for each iteration of AOT values computed, the algorithm applies an

atmospheric correction and AOT is then recalculated until it reaches the maximum number of

iterations. AOT derived from Landsat ™ data is then validated with ground truth AOT values taken

from a MICROTOPS II sun photometer.

References:

(1) Founda, D., Pierros, F., Petrakis, M., & Zerefos, C. (2015). Interdecadal variations and trends

of the Urban Heat Island in Athens (Greece) and its response to heat waves. Atmospheric

Research, 161-162, 1–13. doi: 10.1016/j.atmosres.2015.03.016

(2) Hadjimitsis, D. G. (2009). Aerosol optical thickness (AOT) retrieval over land using satellite

image-based algorithm. Air Quality, Atmosphere & Health, 2(2), 89–97. doi: 10.1007/s11869-

009-0036-0

(3) Kurniati, A. C., & Nitivattananon, V. (2016). Factors influencing urban heat island in

Surabaya, Indonesia. Sustainable Cities and Society, 27, 99–105. doi:

10.1016/j.scs.2016.07.006

(4) Li, H., Meier, F., Lee, X., Chakraborty, T., Liu, J., Schaap, M., & Sodoudi, S. (2018). Interaction

between urban heat island and urban pollution island during summer in Berlin. Science of

The Total Environment, 636, 818–828. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.04.254

(5) Luo, N., Wong, M. S., Zhao, W., Yan, X., & Xiao, F. (2015). Improved aerosol retrieval

algorithm using Landsat images and its application for PM10 monitoring over urban areas.

Atmospheric Research, 153, 264–275. doi: 10.1016/j.atmosres.2014.08.012

(6) Omari, K., Abuelgasim, A., & Alhebsi, K. (2019). Aerosol optical depth retrieval over the city

of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE) using Landsat-8 OLI images. Atmospheric Pollution

Research, 10(4), 1075–1083. doi: 10.1016/j.apr.2019.01.015

(7) Ou, Y., Chen, F., Zhao, W., Yan, X., & Zhang, Q. (2017). Landsat 8-based inversion methods

for aerosol optical depths in the Beijing area. Atmospheric Pollution Research, 8(2), 267–274.

doi: 10.1016/j.apr.2016.09.004

(8) Saraswat, I., Mishra, R. K., & Kumar, A. (2017). Estimation of PM10 concentration from

Landsat 8 OLI satellite imagery over Delhi, India. Remote Sensing Applications: Society and

Environment, 8, 251–257. doi: 10.1016/j.rsase.2017.10.006

(9) Shaker, R. R., Altman, Y., Deng, C., Vaz, E., & Forsythe, K. (2019). Investigating urban heat

island through spatial analysis of New York City streetscapes. Journal of Cleaner Production,

233, 972–992. doi: 10.1016/j.jclepro.2019.05.389.3

(10)Ziaul, S., and Pal, Swades. (2018). “Analyzing Control of Respiratory Particulate Matter on

Land Surface Temperature in Local Climatic Zones of English Bazar Municipality and

Surroundings.” Urban Climate, vol. 24, 2018, pp. 34–50., doi:10.1016/j.uclim.2018.01.006.