Measuring and Monitoring Urban Impacts on Climate Change from Space
As urban areas continue to expand and play a critical role as both contributors to climate change and hotspots of vulnerability to its effects, cities have become battlegrounds for climate change adaptation and mitigation. Large amounts of earth observations from space have been collected over the l...
Main Authors: | , |
---|---|
Format: | Article |
Language: | English |
Published: |
MDPI AG
2020-10-01
|
Series: | Remote Sensing |
Subjects: | |
Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/12/21/3494 |
_version_ | 1797549978271350784 |
---|---|
author | Cristina Milesi Galina Churkina |
author_facet | Cristina Milesi Galina Churkina |
author_sort | Cristina Milesi |
collection | DOAJ |
description | As urban areas continue to expand and play a critical role as both contributors to climate change and hotspots of vulnerability to its effects, cities have become battlegrounds for climate change adaptation and mitigation. Large amounts of earth observations from space have been collected over the last five decades and while most of the measurements have not been designed specifically for monitoring urban areas, an increasing number of these observations is being used for understanding the growth rates of cities and their environmental impacts. Here we reviewed the existing tools available from satellite remote sensing to study urban contribution to climate change, which could be used for monitoring the progress of climate change mitigation strategies at the city level. We described earth observations that are suitable for measuring and monitoring urban population, extent, and structure; urban emissions of greenhouse gases and other air pollutants; urban energy consumption; and extent, intensity, and effects on surrounding regions, including nearby water bodies, of urban heat islands. We compared the observations available and obtainable from space with the measurements desirable for monitoring. Despite considerable progress in monitoring urban extent, structure, heat island intensity, and air pollution from space, many limitations and uncertainties still need to be resolved. We emphasize that some important variables, such as population density and urban energy consumption, cannot be suitably measured from space with available observations. |
first_indexed | 2024-03-10T15:22:45Z |
format | Article |
id | doaj.art-81d42cd0159049da9e2ceba2121e0019 |
institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
issn | 2072-4292 |
language | English |
last_indexed | 2024-03-10T15:22:45Z |
publishDate | 2020-10-01 |
publisher | MDPI AG |
record_format | Article |
series | Remote Sensing |
spelling | doaj.art-81d42cd0159049da9e2ceba2121e00192023-11-20T18:22:37ZengMDPI AGRemote Sensing2072-42922020-10-011221349410.3390/rs12213494Measuring and Monitoring Urban Impacts on Climate Change from SpaceCristina Milesi0Galina Churkina1CropSnap LLC, Sunnyvale, CA 94087, USAPotsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, 14473 Potsdam, GermanyAs urban areas continue to expand and play a critical role as both contributors to climate change and hotspots of vulnerability to its effects, cities have become battlegrounds for climate change adaptation and mitigation. Large amounts of earth observations from space have been collected over the last five decades and while most of the measurements have not been designed specifically for monitoring urban areas, an increasing number of these observations is being used for understanding the growth rates of cities and their environmental impacts. Here we reviewed the existing tools available from satellite remote sensing to study urban contribution to climate change, which could be used for monitoring the progress of climate change mitigation strategies at the city level. We described earth observations that are suitable for measuring and monitoring urban population, extent, and structure; urban emissions of greenhouse gases and other air pollutants; urban energy consumption; and extent, intensity, and effects on surrounding regions, including nearby water bodies, of urban heat islands. We compared the observations available and obtainable from space with the measurements desirable for monitoring. Despite considerable progress in monitoring urban extent, structure, heat island intensity, and air pollution from space, many limitations and uncertainties still need to be resolved. We emphasize that some important variables, such as population density and urban energy consumption, cannot be suitably measured from space with available observations.https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/12/21/3494climate changeurban extenturban structureurban populationgreenhouse gas emissionsurban air pollutants |
spellingShingle | Cristina Milesi Galina Churkina Measuring and Monitoring Urban Impacts on Climate Change from Space Remote Sensing climate change urban extent urban structure urban population greenhouse gas emissions urban air pollutants |
title | Measuring and Monitoring Urban Impacts on Climate Change from Space |
title_full | Measuring and Monitoring Urban Impacts on Climate Change from Space |
title_fullStr | Measuring and Monitoring Urban Impacts on Climate Change from Space |
title_full_unstemmed | Measuring and Monitoring Urban Impacts on Climate Change from Space |
title_short | Measuring and Monitoring Urban Impacts on Climate Change from Space |
title_sort | measuring and monitoring urban impacts on climate change from space |
topic | climate change urban extent urban structure urban population greenhouse gas emissions urban air pollutants |
url | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/12/21/3494 |
work_keys_str_mv | AT cristinamilesi measuringandmonitoringurbanimpactsonclimatechangefromspace AT galinachurkina measuringandmonitoringurbanimpactsonclimatechangefromspace |