Song et al. (2026) Urban vegetation modulates compound hot-dry events across Chinese cities

Identification

• Journal: Weather and Climate Extremes
• Year: 2026
• Date: 2026-08-08
• Authors: Fengjiao Song, Tao Li, Marie Anne Eurie Forio, Andrée De Cock, Xiaolin Chen, Yalong Li, Philippe De Maeyer, Anming Bao, Peter L.M. Goethals
• DOI: 10.1016/j.wace.2026.100943

Research Groups

• State Key Laboratory of Desert and Oasis Ecology, Key Laboratory of Ecological Safety and Sustainable Development in Arid Lands, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences
• University of Chinese Academy of Sciences
• Department of Animal Sciences and Aquatic Ecology, Ghent University
• Department of Geography, Ghent University
• Sino-Belgian Joint Laboratory of Geo-Information

Short Summary

This study investigates the role of urban greening in modulating compound hot-dry events (CHDEs) across Chinese cities from 2000 to 2024. The results show that urban vegetation has a significant negative association with CHDE frequency and intensity, particularly in central China.

Objective

• Investigate the impact of urban greening on compound hot-dry events (CHDEs) in Chinese cities.
• Quantify the independent effects of urban vegetation on CHDE characteristics while controlling for climatic, urban morphological, and topographic factors.

Study Configuration

• Spatial Scale: 1 km resolution across China's urban areas.
• Temporal Scale: 2000 to 2024.

Methodology and Data

• Models used: Partial correlation analysis and multiple linear regression models.
• Data sources:
  • MODIS LAI dataset (500 m spatial resolution, 8-day temporal frequency).
  • National Tibetan Plateau Data Center datasets for precipitation and potential evapotranspiration.
  • National Cryosphere Desert Data Center dataset for maximum daily temperature.

Main Results

• Urban vegetation has a significant negative association with CHDE frequency and intensity in central China.
• The magnitude of the negative association between LAI and CHDE frequency is 0.38 times larger than that for CHDE intensity.
• Precipitation shows the highest normalized contribution to CHDE frequency, while temperature contributes most to intensity.

Contributions

• This study provides new empirical evidence on the ecological and climatic controls of compound hot-dry events in urban environments.
• The findings highlight the crucial role of urban greening in mitigating compound hot-dry risks and provide useful insights for developing climate-adaptive urban strategies under future warming.

Funding

• State Key Laboratory of Desert and Oasis Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (project code: XXXX).
• National Natural Science Foundation of China (grant number: YYYY).
• Sino-Belgian Joint Research Center on Earth Sciences (project code: ZZZZ).

Citation

@article{Song2026Urban,
  author = {Song, Fengjiao and Li, Tao and Forio, Marie Anne Eurie and Cock, Andrée De and Chen, Xiaolin and Li, Yalong and Maeyer, Philippe De and Bao, Anming and Goethals, Peter L.M.},
  title = {Urban vegetation modulates compound hot-dry events across Chinese cities},
  journal = {Weather and Climate Extremes},
  year = {2026},
  doi = {10.1016/j.wace.2026.100943},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wace.2026.100943}
}