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Optical satellite data monitoring of synergistic effects of summer urban heat island and heat waves on viral infections dynamics

M. ZORAN1, D. SAVASTRU1,* , M. N. TAUTAN1

Affiliation

  1. National Institute R&D for Optoelectronics, Magurele, MG5, 077125, Romania

Abstract

The present study addresses the interaction effects of spatiotemporal dynamics of air pollutants and climate parameters, under urban heat island (UHI) amplified by heat wave (HW) on the incidence and lethality of COVID-19 viral infection in the test site Tokyo metropolis, capital of Japan. July-September periods of 2020, 2021, and 2022, were comparatively statistically analyzed based on time series of satellite MODIS Terra/Aqua Land Surface Temperature (LST) and total Aerosol Optical Depth at 550 nm (AOD) data, together with in-situ air pollutants and climate monitoring data. During persistent stable anticyclonic weather conditions of summer 2022, this research found high positive Spearman correlations between maximum air temperature at 2 m height (Tmax) and the daily COVID-19 incidence (DNC)and lethality cases (DND), expressed by DNC (r = 0.81; p ≤ 0.05) for DNC, and respectively DND (r = 0.38; p ≤ 0.05) for DND, which together with positive correlations between LST and COVID-19 incidence DNC (r = 0.39; p ≤ 0.05), and lethality DND (r = 0.18; p ≤ 0.05), may explain the highest recorded rates of COVID-19 new cases and deaths, attributed to the increased urban heat and air pollution in Tokyo. Despite of intense ultraviolet solar radiation, which can obstruct viral intensity, and several restrictions and control policies, under summer high temperatures attributed to co-occurrence of HW and UHI, the daily new COVID-19 incidence cases increased in the summer of 2022 in Tokyo by 7.7 times than in the summer of 2021, and by 80.2 times than in the summer of 2020..

Keywords

Time series MODIS terra/Aqua satellite data, Heat waves and urban heat island, Air pollution, Climate variables, Viral infection COVID-19.

Submitted at: June 24, 2025
Accepted at: Aug. 5, 2025

Citation

M. ZORAN, D. SAVASTRU, M. N. TAUTAN, Optical satellite data monitoring of synergistic effects of summer urban heat island and heat waves on viral infections dynamics, Journal of Optoelectronics and Advanced Materials Vol. 27, Iss. 7-8, pp. 392-410 (2025)