Impact of the industrial sector on surface temperatures in Jubail City, Saudi Arabia using remote sensing techniques

Abstract

Jubail is an industrial city that has registered the highest growth in Saudi Arabia in recent years, and it is important to understand the potential effects of this growth on both the environment and the City’s residents. The collaboration between the industry and the academic researches and scientific technologies would contribute to achieve a proper management to reduce the potential industrial risks on the environment and living organisms. In this study, we used remote sensing technology using Landsat 8 satellite images to calculate and analyze surface temperatures in Jubail Industrial City. Previous observations of Jubail using Landsat 7 satellite images from 2001 demonstrated that a heat island is centered above the industrial area. Heat islands can lead to serious environmental and health issues. The land surface temperatures observed in this study (29–77.2 °C) are, to some extent, consistent with those of a previous study (33–85 °C); however, increased industrial activity in Jubail has led to an expansion of heat coverage, both inland and offshore. Our study illustrates the importance of remote sensing data for detecting and understanding historical climate change in industrial urban areas, thus providing valuable data for future management planning.