Urban heat islands are the result of anthropogenic activity in urban areas and represent a temperature difference between urban and rural area. Urban heat islands in this study are determined as areas, within the temperature of the surface in the warmest quarter of the year is higher than 0,1 °C and the area is larger than 50 ha. We analysed urban heat islands of different sizes and different land uses (agricultural, built-up, green, forest areas and water bodies). We analysed the impact of land use (forest share, share of built-up areas, forest fragmentation) on the intensity of urban heat islands on two levels. The impact of land use on the intensity of the urban heat island was considered for the entire territory of Slovenia. The method of work was based on the analysis of the European land use map CORINE LAND COVER (CLC) and the satellite images MODIS of the average temperature of the warmest quarter of the year. We found, that share of forest within urban heat islands of level 1, has a weak influence on the intensity of urban heat islands; the influence of forest share on level 2 is higher (r2 = 0,38; p < 0,001). The intensity of urban heat islands of both levels is statistically significantly increasing with the share of built-up areas (r2 = 0,35; p < 0,001). Intensity of urban heat islands increases by increasing the edge density and by increasing the fragmentation of forest areas within the urban heat island.
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