Assessment of water infiltration of urban surface based on remote sensing: a case study of Wuhan, China

Assessment of water infiltration of the urban surface is the prerequisite and basis when we study the impact of urbanization on the urban ecological environment such as stormwater runoff and the heat island effect. However, few studies have been done on how to make such an assessment. In this paper, a detailed assessment of water infiltration of urban surface for Wuhan, China was conducted based on remote sensing. Classification of land-use types and their water infiltration criterion was proposed by the V-I-S (Vegetation-Impervious Surface-Soil) model. The Landsat-8 remote sensing data were used to classify various land-use types in Wuhan. The water infiltration capacity distribution in Wuhan was then obtained and classified into five levels. These results will also be helpful to provide a basis for establishing a comprehensive water infiltration model of the urban surface in the future.