Impact of spatial resolution and satellite overpass time on evaluation of the surface urban heat island effects

Abstract Surface Urban Heat Island (SUHI) effect is defined as the increased surface temperature in urban areas in contrast to surrounding cooler temperatures in rural areas. In this paper, we study the characteristics that a spaceborne sensor must satisfy in terms of spatial resolution and overpass time to properly monitor the SUHI effect. For this, Land Surface Temperature (LST) maps, generated at different spatial resolution using the Airborne Hyperspectral Scanner (AHS) imagery, and in situ data of air temperature and LST obtained from the framework of the Dual-use European Security IR Experiment 2008 have been considered for the city of Madrid (Spain). The results showed that (1) spati…