Air Temperature Modeling Based on Land Surface Factors by the Cubist Method (Case Study of Hamoun International Wetland)

Abstract

The drying up of Hamoun International Wetland (HIW) and the loss of vegetation in this area have led to an increase in ambient temperature. This research examines the changes in the surface of HIW and its role in air temperature (Tair) using data on land surface temperature (LST), vegetation, wind speed, and relative humidity. The Cubist regression model (CRM) is used to simulate the effects of land surface factors (LSFs) on Tair. Four microsites with different plant cover percentages were selected for this purpose. After data collection, 75% of the data were used for modeling and 25% of the data were used for model testing. The results showed that CRM has adequate performance for estimating Tair. The assessment of the relationship between land surface temperature (LST) and Tair at 2 meter height showed that there was a high correlation coefficient between 0.86 and 0.91 in the different microsites. The results of using CRM for estimating Tair showed that this model can estimate air temperature from independent parameters of LST, wind speed, vegetation percentage, and relative humidity with a correlation coefficient of 0.98. In this model, the LST, relative humidity, and vegetation percentage were entered with values of 100%, 93%, and 83% respectively. Wind speed was not included in the model because the measurements were constant and less than 4 m/s throughout the period (no changes).