Impact of urbanization on the thermal environment of the Chengdu–Chongqing urban agglomeration under complex terrain

Abstract

Located in the mountainous area of southwest China, the Chengdu–Chongqing urban agglomeration (CCUA) has been rapidly urbanized in the last 4 decades, which has led to a 3-fold urban area expansion, thereby affecting the weather and climate. To investigate the urbanization effects on the thermal environment in the CCUA under complex terrain, we conducted simulations using the advanced Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF V4.1.5) model together with combined land use scenarios and terrain conditions. We observed that the WRF model reproduces the general synoptic summer weather pattern, particularly for the thermal environment. It was shown that the expansion of the urban area changed the underlying surface's thermal properties, leading to the urban heat island effect, enhanced further by the complex terrain. The simulation with the future scenario shows that the implementation of idealized measures including returning farmland to forests and expanding rivers and lakes can reduce the urban heat island effect and regulate the urban ecosystem. Therefore, urban planning policy has the potential to provide feasible suggestions to best manage the thermal environment of the future city toward improving the livelihood of the people in the environment.