The study of thermal pattern changes using Landsat-derived land surface temperature in the central part of Isfahan province

Abstract

Urban development and consequently, the growth of construction can result in changing the climatic parameters, such as land surface temperature (LST). This study was conducted in the central part of Isfahan province to investigate changes in thermal patterns during 1985–2015 time period. To generate land-use/land-cover maps and LST, Landsat-TM, ETM+ and OLI/TIRS data were utilized. The results demonstrated that impervious surfaces had been increased by 2.8 times from 1985 to 2015. The results also indicated a negative correlation between LST and the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) in hot months. This research also focused on exploring the occurrence of surface urban heat island (SUHI) in hot and cold months in the city of Isfahan. Buffer zones in various widths were created to measure SUHI. In August 1985, in buffers of 1 km–3 km and in July 1992, in all buffers, SUHI was observed. In contrast, in July 2001, in buffers of 3 km–10 km and in July 2015, in all buffers, LST of Isfahan rural area was higher than that of city, showing surface urban cool island (SUCI). The results also demonstrated that the urban area was cooler than the surrounding rural area in the cold months.