Dynamics of Land-use/Land-cover and Land Surface Temperature over a period of time in a highly urbanized area using a geospatial approach

Abstract

The changes in land use/land cover can potentially impact the land surface temperature. The land-use features that are impenetrable can increase the Land Surface Temperature, while vegetation cover can decrease the Land Surface Temperature. In this study, we examined the Rajkot city in Saurashtra, Gujarat concerning changes in land use and temperature. Here, we used the imageries from Landsat for the years 2000, 2010, and 2020. We also analyzed the Land Surface Temperature to see how the changes in Land Use Land Cover influence the Land Surface Temperature of the city. We found that across three decades, the city's barren land and fallow land have been decreased and settlement, wetlands, vegetation cover, and industrial areas have been increased. Subsequently, the changes in Land Surface Temperature were noticed. The Land Surface Temperature decreased in the regions where barren land and fallow land are decreased while Land Surface Temperature increased in the areas where wetlands and vegetation cover increased. We conclude that the replacement of the barren and fallow land with human settlement and vegetation cover can decrease the Land Surface Temperature at the local scale.