Arid Zone Research ›› 2022, Vol. 39 ›› Issue (6): 1768-1781.doi: 10.13866/j.azr.2022.06.07

• Weather and Applied Climate • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Exploring the interaction between the heat island effect and pollution island effect in Xi’an, China

JIANG Ziqi1,2,3(),WANG Xuhong1,2,3(),FENG Zihao1,2,3,CUI Siying1,2,3,YANG Xia1,2,3   

  1. 1. College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Northwest University, Xi’an 710127, Shaanxi, China
    2. Shaanxi Provincial Key Laboratory of Surface System and Environmental Carrying Capacity, Xi’an 710127, Shaanxi, China
    3. Xi’an Urban Ecosystem Positioning Observation and Research Station, Xi’an 710127, Shaanxi, China
  • Received:2022-04-08 Revised:2022-05-11 Online:2022-11-15 Published:2023-01-17
  • Contact: Xuhong WANG E-mail:jiangziqi@stumail.nwu.edu.cn;jqy_wxh@nwu.edu.cn

Abstract:

Surface/Canopy Urban Heat Island (SUHI/CUHI) effect and Atmospheric/Near-surface Urban Pollution Island (AUPI/NSUPI) effect interact and influence each other, significantly threatening the urban ecological environment. Based on the spatial coupling analysis and attribution method, the impact of AUPI on SUHI under radiation effect and CUHI on NSUPI under turbulence mixing in Xi’an city from 2003 to 2020 were explored using land surface temperature, air temperature, Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD), and PM2.5 data. The results indicated that: (1) Due to the difference in aerosol radiation effect between day and night in winter, SUHI intensity in winter is <0.2 K. The strong aerosol radiation cooling effect causes low ground temperature in urban areas and cooler in urban areas than in rural areas. When the SUHI intensity is greater than 2.2 K at night, the long-wave radiation effect of aerosol is enhanced, and the pollutant particles suspended in the urban space become the “insulation layer” of the city. (2) Significant CUHI in spring and summer enhanced atmosphere turbulent mixing, causing the diffusion of pollutant particles near the surface in urban regions. PM2.5 concentration and NSUPI intensity decreased correspondingly on urban surfaces. In autumn and winter, the atmospheric inversion layer obstructed air ascending movement driven by the CUHI effect. PM2.5 particles aggregated and accumulated in near-surface urban areas, and NSUPI was enhanced accordingly. Additionally, the contribution of haze to surface heat island by attribution quantitative analysis suggested that AOD in rural or urban areas was significantly negatively correlated with SUHI at night and correlation coefficients were -0.431 and -0.386, respectively. This suggested that the main radiation effect of haze on the surface heat environment at night was the cooling effect, while the weakening or strengthening effect of haze on the local climate of urban heat islands was mainly attributed to the positive or negative difference in AOD in urban and rural areas. The UHI and UPI effects are inseparable. It is very important to promote the comprehensive study of urban climate and pollution for constructing a green urban ecological environment.

Key words: Xi’an, surface/canopy urban heat island, atmospheric/near-surface pollution island, spatial coupling analysis, attribution method