An evaluation of the cooling effect efficiency of the oasis structure in a Saharan town through remotely sensed data

This paper reports a study of how vegetation affects the formation of an Oasis Cool Island (OCI) in a dry climate, and aims to quantify the effectiveness of the oasis structure on the cooling effect by a comparative analysis of two oasis models: traditional oasis and modern oasis. The Landsat8 data of the hottest summer day was required, treated and analysed. In addition, all palm groves were classed and mapped using the ArcGIS 10.2 platform. Our results show that the traditional oasis has the lowest values of Land Surface Temperature (LST) which generates a strong cooling intensity (OCI = −7.95 °C). Furthermore, the study suggests that Planting Density (PD) is a determining factor of OCI rather than the size of vegetation cover. Thus, the study provides information for urban planners seeking to create a favourable microclimate through vegetation management. © 2017 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.