Estimation of the anthropogenic heat flux distribution in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region based on Suomi-NPP/VIIRS nighttime light image

Anthropogenic heat, the heat released by human activities, is the key factor for the formation of urban heat island. Using the top-down energy inventory method, total anthropogenic heat emissions of Beijing municipality in 2015 have been estimated based on the economic statistics and energy consumption data from the Chinese statistical yearbook. These emissions results from sources including industry, vehicles, buildings and human metabolism. The Suomi-NPP/VIIRS data are used to extract the main emission areas of anthropogenic heat and to reduce the oversaturated effect. Normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) data are integrated with Suomi-NPP/VIIRS data to generate a human settlement index (HSI) of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Region. Using the significant correlation between anthropogenic heat flux (AHF) and the mean HSI, the model for anthropogenic heat flux estimation is developed and implemented in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Region. A gridded anthropogenic heat flux map is generated at a resolution of 500m × 500m. The results show that Suomi-NPP/VIIRS data can be applied to spatialize high-resolution anthropogenic heat emissions of large scale areas.