Study on the Relationship between Vegetation Cover and Land Surface Temperature Based on Remote Sensing - A Case Study of Changzhou, China

Abstract

With the acceleration of urbanization, the environmental problems caused by the urban heat island effect are becoming increasingly noticeable. Investigating the connection between land surface temperature and vegetation cover is crucial to reducing the urban heat island effect. This paper uses Landsat data from 2021 to 2024 in the main urban region of Changzhou City, Jiangsu Province, China, as the study area to evaluate the geographical and temporal evolution of vegetation cover and land surface temperature and their coupling connection. The results show that the annual average value of vegetation cover in the main urban region of Changzhou City from 2021 to 2024 is 0.6025, with an overall upward trend, and the spatial pattern is characterized by a ‘ring-like’ distribution with a high level in the periphery of the city and a low level in the heart of the city. In addition, the land surface temperature showed a decreasing trend in the same period, and the middle of Wujin District and the outskirts of Xinbei District were the areas with the highest temperatures, while the sub-medium-temperature region appeared in the arable land area with good vegetation cover and around the water body. Lastly, in Changzhou City's central urban region, there is a highly substantial negative correlation between vegetation cover and land surface temperature; for every 10% increase in plant cover, the land surface temperature drops by 0.20 to 0.49℃.