Abstract
Growing urbanization results built up surfaces converting from agriculture land, forest and other natural land cover surfaces. Increasing built up surfaces, means of transport and industrial activities are major results for increasing temperature in the city area as compared to other areas. Increasing heat is a concern to human health of the people living in urban areas. Increasing temperature in the city area in developing countries is being a growing concern. Kathmandu valley is one of the most rapidly growing urbanization in Nepal. The present study aims to assess the changing Land Surface Temperature (LST) in Kathmandu valley using LANDSAT 7 images. Similarly, Urban Heat Island (UHI) effect was evaluated in land use categories which were derived from Google Earth images. Study revealed that built up area contributed highly to increase land surface temperature. New built up with compact settlement area has higher land surface temperature as compare to other land use/land cover surfaces. City core has higher LST as compared to less urbanized and surrounding parts. The LST has highly increased during 1999 to 2017 with increasing urbanization. However, the ecological condition of UHI effect is not so bad till date but the study result indicated the continuous increasing urbanization may result worse ecological condition in Kathmandu Valley in the future.
Highlights
Most of the large cities in the world have higher temperature at the center of the city as compared to its surrounding areas is known as Urban Heat Island (UHI) (Adinna et al, 2009; Nuruzzaman, 2015)
The present study aims to assess the changing Land Surface Temperature (LST) in Kathmandu valley using LANDSAT 7 images
Pattern and area changes of three land use/land cover zones were analyzed with its driving factors
Summary
Most of the large cities in the world have higher temperature at the center of the city as compared to its surrounding areas is known as Urban Heat Island (UHI) (Adinna et al, 2009; Nuruzzaman, 2015). There are rapid changes in the urban environment as a result of urban growth among which urban climate rapid increase in temperature under the city area creating UHI as compared to its surrounding areas (Alfraihat, et al, 2016). Nepal is mountainous country and Kathmandu valley is in the middle hill having high elevation differences with an effect on lapse rate of temperature but past studies has neglected this aspect. It should be clear that the increasing temperature in the valley floor (city area) is due to the effect of lapse rate because of elevation change or due to the urbanization. There is urgent need of studies to identify and address the change by lapse rate and/or heat created by urbanization In this context, the present study aimed to assess the real situation of UHI in Kathmandu valley due to urbanization process during 1999 to 2017. The built-up area was 5.1% in Kathmandu Valley in 1989 and reached 26.06% in 2016 (Ishtiaque et al, 2017), which is quite higher than four times increase built-up area during this period
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