Research on the Impact of Atmospheric Particulate Matter (PM2.5) on Urban Heat Island Effect

Abstract

With the rapid development of urbanization, PM2.5 pollution and urban heat island effects have become two major environmental problems that constrain the sustainable development of cities. PM2.5 is one of the important pollutants in the atmosphere, and its influence on the urban thermal environment is still insufficiently clarified. The study establishes an urban thermal environment-PM2.5 interaction model to examine the relationship between these two. The study selected a typical urban agglomeration as the research area, through the use of remote sensing monitoring and ground observation methods to obtain the PM2.5 concentration and urban temperature distribution data from 2018 to 2022. Using machine learning algorithm and thermal balance model analysis, it can be seen that PM2.5 can significantly enhance the heat island intensity by changing the urban atmospheric radiation transmission characteristics. When the PM2.5 concentration is between 75–150 μg/m³, the urban heat island intensity increases by about 0.8-1.2 °C, but when the concentration is higher than 200 μg/m³, the heat island effect will decrease due to the increased solar radiation scattering. The urban building density and green coverage are the main factors that play a regulatory role in this relationship. This paper provides a scientific basis for the comprehensive management of the urban environment, and also has important reference value for the optimization of urban planning and the formulation of air pollution prevention and control strategies.