Assessing Intra-Urban Surface Energy Fluxes Using Remotely Sensed ASTER Imagery and Routine Meteorological Data: A Case Study in Indianapolis, U.S.A.

The seasonal and spatial variability of surface heat fluxes is crucial to the understanding of urban heat island phenomenon and dynamics. To estimate energy fluxes, remote sensing derived biophysical variables need to be integrated with surface atmospheric parameters measured in meteorological stations or in situ field measurements. In this study, based on the two-source energy balance algorithm, we applied a method to estimate surface energy fluxes by combined use of multispectral ASTER images and routine meteorological data, and applied it to the City of Indianapolis, United States, aiming at in-depth understanding of the spatial patterns of energy fluxes. By computing the fluxes by land use and land cover (LULC) type, we further investigated the spatial variability of heat fluxes. Results show that the energy fluxes possessed a strong seasonality, with the highest net radiation in summer, followed by spring, fall and winter. Sensible heat flux tended to change largely with surface temperature, while latent heat was largely modulated by the change in vegetation abundance and vigor and the accompanying moisture condition. The fluctuation in all heat fluxes tended to be high in the summer months and low in the winter months. Sensible and latent heat fluxes showed a stronger spatial variability than net radiation and ground heat flux. The variations of net radiation among the land use/cover types were mainly attributable to surface albedo and temperature, while the within-class variability in the turbulent heat fluxes was more associated with the changes in vegetation, water bodies, and other surface factors.