Remote Sensing for Analysis of Relationships between Land Cover and Land Surface Temperature in Ten Megacities

Abstract: Urbanization is one of the most significant phenomena of the anthropogenic influence on the Earth’s environment. One of the principal results of the urbanization is the creation of megacities, with their local climate and high impact on the surrounding area. The design and evolution of an urban area leads to higher absorption of solar radiation and heat storage in which is the foundation of the urban heat island phenomenon. Remote sensing data is a valuable source of information for urban climatology studies. The main objective of this thesis research is to examine the relationship between land use and land cover types and corresponding land surface temperature, as well as the urban heat island effect and changes in these factors over a 10 year period. 10 megacities around the world where included in this study namely Beijing (China), Delhi (India), Dhaka (Bangladesh), Los Angeles (USA), London (UK), Mexico City (Mexico), Moscow (Russia), New York City (USA), Sao Paulo (Brazil) and Tokyo (Japan). Landsat satellite data were used to extract land use/land cover information and their changes for the abovementioned cities. Land surface temperature was retrieved from Landsat thermal images. The relationship between land surface temperature and landuse/land-cover classes, as well as the normalized vegetation index (NDVI) was analyzed. The results indicate that land surface temperature can be related to land use/land cover classes in most cases. Vegetated and undisturbed natural areas enjoy lower surface temperature, than developed urban areas with little vegetation. However, the cities show different trends, both in terms of the size and spatial distribution of urban heat island. Also, megacities from developed countries tend to grow at a slower pace and thus face less urban heat island effects than megacities in developing countries.