Observing the urban heat island in summer from city center to fringe — Taking Wuhan as an example

The environmental change on earth is a hot issue for discussions in many fields and it results from energy conversion of various natural factors. In order to investigate the urban heat island (UHI) phenomenon in summer of Wuhan (Hubei Province, P.R. China), a very representative city which is hot in summer and cold in winter, and the causes of the UHI, we conducted moving observations in an area with the same predominant wind direction and collected a lot of data. After data handling and analysis, a series of graphs and tables were obtained to reflect the real UHI effect in the city center and the gradient changes from the city center to fringe area, as well as its relationship with the urban morphology, anthropogenic factors and microclimate. This could be regarded as a feasibility basis for urban design and planning.