The Aviation Heat Island Effect: A Novel Investigation into the Contributions of Airports to the Urban Heat Island Effect (UHIE) and How Their Effects Can Be Mitigated
Abstract
The Urban Heat Island Effect (UHIE) is a growing concern around the world. As the effects of climate change become more apparent, the world has placed a larger effort on finding ways to mitigate this effect in various large urban areas. However, mass transportation infrastructure, including airports, has not been considered in mitigation efforts and its contribution to the UHIE is unknown. This investigation aims to investigate the contribution airport infrastructure makes for UHIE, similar to downtown Urban Areas. The study area chosen was Dallas Fort-Worth International Airport because of its passenger density and unique design. Dallas Downtown was also studied as a point of comparison. Eleven years (2012-2022) of Landsat 7, 8, and 9 imagery were downloaded via the Machine2Machine (M2M) API with the use of a Python Script. Pre-processing to determine brightness temperature was completed using the Semi-Automatic Classification Plugin (SCP) in QGIS for Landsat 8 and 9 and temperature from Landsat 7 was calculated using equations from Li et al. Post-processing was accomplished through the construction of vector layers for the study area and the use of the Zonal Statistic Plugin. Through this, it was determined that airport and downtown temperatures are proximal to each other within 5 degrees Celsius, and that the average temperatures for downtown areas and Dallas airport for each year align closely. With this novel information, it is clear that airports should be equally considered as focal points of the UHIE as should downtown Urban Areas. Some methods of mitigation could include actively cooled runways and terminals along with the addition of grassy plants to airport settings.
- Publication:
-
AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- December 2022
- Bibcode:
- 2022AGUFMED44B..07J