Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 22, 2026
03:29
Author Spotlight: Impact of Physical Barriers on Rodent Populations in Farmland Areas
Published on: March 8, 2024
1.1K
Quantifying the Anthropogenic Footprint in Eastern China.
Chunlei Meng1,2, Youjun Dou1
1Institute of Urban Meteorology, China Meteorological Administration, Beijing, 100089, China.
Scientific Reports
|April 13, 2016
Summary
Anthropogenic heat (AH) significantly impacts urban heat island (UHI) effects. This study uses nighttime light data to map AH, revealing it warms eastern China by up to 1K annually, with less effect on warm, wet cities.
Area of Science:
- Urban climatology
- Environmental science
- Remote sensing
Background:
- Urban heat island (UHI) is a significant urban climate phenomenon.
- Accurate parameterization of anthropogenic heat (AH) is crucial for UHI studies.
- A universal method for spatial AH pattern parameterization is currently lacking.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and apply a method for parameterizing the spatial pattern of anthropogenic heat (AH).
- To quantify the influence of AH on land surface temperature (LST) in eastern China and major cities.
- To investigate the drivers of AH's impact on LST.
Main Methods:
- Utilized NOAA DMSP/OLS nighttime light data to parameterize the spatial distribution of AH.
- Conducted two experiments using the Common Land Model (CoLM) to assess AH's influence on LST.
- Analyzed relative LST differences between control and contrast runs to identify driving factors.
Main Results:
- Annual mean heating caused by AH reaches up to 1K in eastern China.
- The study quantified AH's impact on LST in eastern China and 24 large cities.
- Anthropogenic heat's warming effect is less pronounced in relatively warm and wet urban environments.
Conclusions:
- Nighttime light data provides a viable method for parameterizing AH spatial patterns.
- AH contributes significantly to LST variations in urban areas.
- Urban climate characteristics, such as warmth and humidity, modulate the impact of AH on LST.
Related Concept Videos
01:50Threats to Biodiversity
27.8K
There have been five major extinction events throughout geological history, resulting in the elimination of biodiversity, followed by a rebound of species that adapted to the new conditions. In the current geological epoch, the Holocene, there is a sixth extinction event in progress. This mass extinction has been attributed to human activities and is thus provisionally called the Anthropocene. In 2019 the human population reached 7.7 billion people and is projected to comprise 10 billion by...
27.8K
01:24Biodiversity and Human Values
17.6K
Human civilization relies on biodiversity in many ways. Sudden changes in species biodiversity result in environmental changes that can modify weather patterns and therefore human civilizations.
17.6K
02:07Conservation of Declining Populations
13.6K
Conservation of declining population focuses on ways of detecting, diagnosing, and halting a population decline. The approach uses methods to prevent populations from going extinct.
13.6K
02:31Habitat Fragmentation
21.8K
Habitat fragmentation describes the division of a more extensive, continuous habitat into smaller, discontinuous areas. Human activities such as land conversion, as well as slower geological processes leading to changes in the physical environment, are the two leading causes of habitat fragmentation. The fragmentation process typically follows the same steps: perforation, dissection, fragmentation, shrinkage, and attrition.
21.8K
01:50Global Climate Change
29.6K
Throughout its ~4.5 billion year history, the Earth has experienced periods of warming and cooling. However, the current drastic increase in global temperatures is well outside of the Earth’s cyclic norms, and evidence for human-caused global climate change is compelling. Paleoclimatology, the study of ancient climate conditions, provides ample evidence for human-caused global climate change by comparing recent conditions with those in the past.
29.6K
01:43Sustainable Development
15.4K
As the human population continues to grow and use resources, we must be mindful of our planet’s natural limits. Sustainable development provides a pathway to maintain and improve human life now while also ensuring that future generations will have the resources that they need. The long-term success of sustainability efforts rests on understanding the interplay between human actions and ecological systems.
15.4K