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Surface thermal environment (STE) is closely related to the comfort and health of residents, affecting regional livability, and its spatial and temporal changes are deeply affected by the urbanization process. Considering there is a lack of effective comparative analysis on STE in different urbanized inhabited islands, the special geographical unit and vital human settlement environment, long-term spatiotemporal characteristics and impact factor quantitative analyses were performed in two inhabited islands via the RS and GIS methods. The results suggest that the surface heat amplitude of the highly urbanized Xiamen Island decreases, with the surface heat intensity continuing to increase from 2000 to 2020, while that of the lowly urbanized Kinmen Island is reversed. Although the land surface temperature (LST) of the two inhabited islands shows similar spatial distribution characteristics with evident cold/hot spots, the geographical distribution characteristics of high LST zones are significantly different, and the thermal landscape of Xiamen Island is more fragmented, discrete, and simple in shape, as revealed by the landscape metrics. We demonstrate that the area proportion between cooling land (water body and greenland) and warming land (bare land and impervious surface) is the most influential factor of LST in the two islands while the marine environment is a unique contributor to STE of inhabited islands compared with inland cities, where the seawater around the island can reduce LST over a range of distances, and the influence of elevation on LST is mostly indirect. These results provide a scientific basis and case support for understanding the STE situation of inhabited islands with different urbanization levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• An integrated heat exposure risk (HER) framework for urban normal heat conditions was refined. • Hourly explicit HER maps at 250 m spatial resolution for various age/gender groups were drawn. • Characterize HER in terms of spatial patterns, temporal dynamics, and population differences. • Novel knowledge for HER configuration by attribute and temporal consistency of risk components. Explicit dynamic and continuous mapping of heat exposure risk (HER) is a vital support for the long-term livability and sustainable management of cities but is rare given the current lack of precisely matching risk-component data. Here, geographic data (rooftops and elevation) and demographic data, particularly the time-matched air temperature data and mobile signaling data both covering 744 periods in one complete month, were used to develop an HER evaluation framework for urban normal heat scenarios and map hour-by-hour outdoor HER with 250 m spatial resolution across Xiamen, China. The results suggested that the mapping analysis was relevant in recognizing the spatial heterogeneity and temporal variability of HER, as well as the population differences in the HER pattern existing under specific spatiotemporal situations for various age (youth/adulthoods/retirement) and gender (male/female) groups. Notably, contributing to better comprehending the HER configuration, high-resolution spatiotemporal mapping was proved to be effective in clearly identifying the detailed time-series evolution of HER by the novel discovery that the definition of 08:00–21:00 as daytime (21:00–08:00 as nighttime) was more consistent with the actual situation of Xiamen than the definition according to sunrise/sunset. These methods and findings provide new knowledge for the zoning prevention and adaptation strategies of HER. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]