A method proposal for monitoring the microclimatic change in an urban area

Abstract

It is known that changes in urban surface characteristics lead to different urban climates. The surrounding environment directly affects thermal comfort and human behavior. In this respect, for sustainable urban growth, the evaluation of urbanization together with climate change from past to present is also important for planning. The main aim of the study is to propose a retrospective GIS-based change detection method for the monitoring of urban climate change by using satellite images. Two regions with a diameter of 1 km where there are significant constructional changes in Istanbul were selected as the study areas. The comparisons were made through Landsat thermal images during summer between the years 2007 and 2017. The function of the model proposed in the study was tested by evaluating whether the expected climatic changes could be achieved against the constructional changes that took place in the region. The correlations between the regions that get extremely hot/cold and the constructional change areas were examined by the bivariate method. The results showed that the correlations could reach up to a high level when important changes occurred in the areas.