Zhang et al. (2026) Biophysical effects of afforestation on local land surface temperature in china: A comprehensive analysis incorporating forest age and afforestation intensity

Identification

• Journal: International Journal of Applied Earth Observation and Geoinformation
• Year: 2026
• Date: 2026-09-19
• Authors: Shaoyu Zhang, Bin Song, Chaoyang Wu, Bisong Hu, Jin Chen, Shuhua Qi, Yong Ge
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jag.2026.105593

Research Groups

• Key Laboratory of Poyang Lake Wetland and Watershed Research (Ministry of education), School of Geography and Environment, Jiangxi Normal University, Nanchang 330022, China
• The Key Laboratory of Land Surface Pattern and Simulation, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
• State Key Laboratory of Remote Sensing Science, Institute of Remote Sensing Science and Engineering, Faculty of Geographical Science, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China

Short Summary

This study constructs a model to evaluate the Land Surface Temperature Effect from Afforestation (LSTEA) considering forest age and afforestation intensity. The results show that afforestation has induced a cooling effect on local land surface temperature in China, with a grid-/national cooling effect of −0.35 ℃/-0.29 ℃ in summer and −0.26 ℃/-0.21 ℃ in winter by 2021.

Objective

• Investigate the biophysical effects of afforestation on local land surface temperature (LST) in China, considering forest age and afforestation intensity.
• Evaluate the historical and future biophysical effects on LST from afforestation using a comprehensive analysis incorporating forest age and afforestation intensity.

Study Configuration

• Spatial Scale: Grid scale with 0.25 ◦ × 0.25 ◦ resolution for all four climate zones in China.
• Temporal Scale: Past afforestation records from 1996 to 2021, and future potential afforestation during 2030–2100.

Methodology and Data

• Models used: Land Surface Temperature Effect from Afforestation (LSTEA) model constructed using Landsat LST data products with a spatial resolution of 30 m × 30 m and long time series land cover datasets.
• Data sources: Secondary Forest Age of China (SFAC) map, China Land Cover Dataset (CLCD), Landsat 8 Collection 2 Level-2 Surface Temperature data, and projected global land use/cover dataset.

Main Results

• Afforestation has induced a cooling effect on local LST in China, with a grid-/national cooling effect of −0.35 ℃/-0.29 ℃ in summer and −0.26 ℃/-0.21 ℃ in winter by 2021.
• The magnitude of cooling effects increased steadily from 1996 to 2021, with the proportion of areas with a cooling effect greater than −0.5 ℃ increasing from 16.04 % in 1996 to 24.41 % in 2020.

Contributions

• This study provides a comprehensive analysis incorporating forest age and afforestation intensity to evaluate the biophysical effects on LST from afforestation.
• The results highlight the importance of considering forest age and afforestation intensity when evaluating the biophysical effects on LST from afforestation.

Funding

• This research was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 41877041), the Jiangxi Provincial Department of Education (Grant No. GJJ190177), and the Key Laboratory of Poyang Lake Wetland and Watershed Research (Ministry of education).

Citation

@article{Zhang2026Biophysical,
  author = {Zhang, Shaoyu and Song, Bin and Wu, Chaoyang and Hu, Bisong and Chen, Jin and Qi, Shuhua and Ge, Yong},
  title = {Biophysical effects of afforestation on local land surface temperature in china: A comprehensive analysis incorporating forest age and afforestation intensity},
  journal = {International Journal of Applied Earth Observation and Geoinformation},
  year = {2026},
  doi = {10.1016/j.jag.2026.105593},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jag.2026.105593}
}