SPATIOTEMPORAL MULTI-SATELLITE BIOPHYSICAL DATA ANALYSIS OF THE EFFECT OF URBANIZATION ON LAND SURFACE AND AIR TEMPERATURE IN BAGUIO CITY, PHILIPPINES

Abstract

Abstract. Urbanization can be observed through the occurrence of land-use changes as more land is being transformed and developed for urban use. One of the Philippine cities with high rate of urbanization is Baguio City, known for having a subtropical highland climate. To understand the spatiotemporal relationship between urbanization and temperature, this study aims to analyze the correlation of urban extent with land surface and air temperature in Baguio City using satellite-based built-up extents, land surface temperature (LST) maps, and weather station-recorded air temperature data. Built-up extent layers were derived from three satellite images: Landsat, RapidEye and PlanetScope. Land-use land cover (LULC) maps were generated from Landsat images using biophysical indices such as Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and Normalized Difference Built-up Index (NDBI); while RapidEye and PlanetScope built-up extent maps were generated by applying the visible green-based built-up index (VgNIR-BI). Mean LST values from 1988 to 2018 during the dry and wet seasons were calculated from the Landsat-retrieved surface temperature layers. The result of the study shows that the increase in the built-up extent significantly intensified the LST during the dry season which was observed in all satellite data-derived built-up maps: RapidEye+PlanetScope (2012–2018; r = 0.88), Landsat 8 (2012–2018; r = 0.63) and Landsat 5,7,8 (1988–2018; r = 0.61). The main LST hotspots were detected inside the Central Business District where it expanded gradually from year 1998 (43 ha) to 2011 (83 ha), but have increased extensively within the years 2014 to 2019 (305 ha). On average, 98.5% of the hotspots detected from 1995 to 2019 are within the equivalent built-up area.