MSc thesis topic: Urban growth in Central Asia: Impact of metal roofs on temperature changes

We will use Landsat LST and ECOSTRESS data to better understand the temperature distribution in cities in Uzbekistan. We have found some temperature declines in cities in Uzbekistan that are difficult to explain from a climate or ecological point of view. These cities mostly have metal roofs. We will investigate the LST for two cities (Samarkand and Bukhara) over multiple years to better understand whether roof renewal contributes to these measured temperature declines.

Relevance to research/projects at GRS or other groups

This project is part of a larger research study focused on Central Asia.

Objectives and Research questions

• Investigate the impact of metal roofs in Uzbek cities over time.
• Identify the emissivity values used in the calculation of the LST data and correct emissivity if needed.
• Investigate whether roof renewal might be the cause of widespread temperature declines in these cities.

Requirements

• Good Remote Sensing background.
• Geoscripting.
• Affinity with urban remote sensing analysis.
• Interest in land surface temperatures.

Literature and information

• Torres-Quezada, Jefferson, Helena Coch, and Antonio Isalgué. "Assessment of the reflectivity and emissivity impact on light metal roofs thermal behaviour, in warm and humid climate." Energy and Buildings 188 (2019): 200-208.
• Deng, Yingbin, et al. "Exploring the impacts and temporal variations of different building roof types on surface urban heat island." Remote Sensing 13.14 (2021): 2840.
• Hofierka, Jaroslav, et al. "Physically-based land surface temperature modeling in urban areas using a 3-D city model and multispectral satellite data." Urban Climate 31 (2020): 100566.

Theme(s): Sensing & measuring; Human – space interaction