Land surface temperature and urban heat island effects on air temperature and vapor pressure deficit in Boston, MA

Landsat-based rasters (30m) of land surface temperature (LST) for the Boston, MA area spanning. LST was calculated by adjusting thermal radiance for atmospheric and emissivity effects for each of 391 images spanning 2000-2013. LST data represent the long-term mean of summertime (day of year 180-240) and springtime (representing leaf-off, day of year 120-180) images. Surface urban heat island (SUHI) calculated by the difference of the mean LST and the 5th percentile LST (typically in rural areas) within the long-term mean LST images, representing enhancements in LST due to urban land use. Additionally, impervious surface area (ISA), buffered by 300m, are included, as well as the accompanying impacts on microclimate due to impervious surface area estimated by linear models with observations from a network (n=25) of meteorological sensors across an urban-rural gradient that measured for two years (2014-2015). Enhancements to local air temperature (dT) and vapor pressure deficit (dV) are averaged over the spring and summer time periods, as above, and for daytime versus nighttime.