Exploring the Causes of Formation of Urban Heat Island and its Impacts and Effects Through Landsat: A Case Study of Satna, Madhya Pradesh

Abstract

The date, the various growth and developments that have taken place in the social and physical infrastructural aspects of the society have led to a tremendous increase in the built up area and decrease in the green and open spaces. Some of this development includes the increase in the number of factories, industries and service centers, which along with it, encourages an increased number in floating population for employment; and all this has latterly led to an increase in covered and impervious surfaces in the urban fabric. These are also some of the major reasons causing the meteorological phenomenon of urban heat island, being described as the part of the metropolitan area being warmer in temperature, than its surrounding area. Rise in temperatures, warmed atmospheric levels, melting of glaciers, heat strokes are some of the major effects of the urban heat island effect, further leading to global warming and climate change. Thus, an essential technique of green infrastructure to be incorporated at city planning level is essential to reduce the effect and maintain the microclimate of any place. Remote sensing is a reported technique used to identify the urban heat island affected areas, accurately and enable the researchers to opt for best suitable intervention. The paper attempts to study broadly the presence of the urban heat island effect in various parts/ areas in the study area city of Satna, Madhya Pradesh; through processing, comparing and analyzing the Landsat imageries of the study area city for two years 1992 and 2016; and identifying the factors of formation of the phenomenon in the affected parts of the city.