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...

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Main Authors: Cristina Milesi, Galina Churkina
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
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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.
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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