Abstract
Rapid urban expansion and the alteration of global land use/land cover (LULC) patterns have contributed substantially to the modification of urban climate, due to variations in Land Surface Temperature (LST). In this study, the LULC change dynamics of Kano metropolis, Nigeria, were analysed over the last three decades, i.e., 1990–2020, using multispectral satellite data to understand the impact of urbanization on LST in the study area. The Maximum Likelihood classification method and the Mono-window algorithm were utilised in classifying land uses and retrieving LST data. Spectral indices comprising the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and Normalized Difference Built-up Index (NDBI) were also computed. A linear regression analysis was employed in order to examine the correlation between land surface temperature and the various spectral indices. The results indicate significant LULC changes and urban expansion of 152.55 sq. km from 1991 to 2020. During the study period, the city’s barren land and water bodies declined by approximately 172.58 sq. km and 26.55 sq. km, respectively, while vegetation increased slightly by 46.58 sq. km. Further analysis showed a negative correlation between NDVI and LST with a Pearson determination coefficient (R2) of 0.6145, 0.5644, 0.5402, and 0.5184 in 1991, 2000, 2010, and 2020 respectively. NDBI correlated positively with LST, having an R2 of 0.4132 in 1991, 0.3965 in 2000, 0.3907 in 2010, and 0.3300 in 2020. The findings of this study provide critical climatic data useful to policy- and decision-makers in optimizing land use and mitigating the impact of urban heat through sustainable urban development.
Highlights
The rapid increase in the global rate of urbanisation and subsequent changes in the land use/land covers (LULC) of different cities have substantially influenced the conditions of urban environments [1,2,3,4,5,6]
This study analysed the influence of rapid urbanization and the decadal changes in land uses on the urban climate of Kano Metropolis using satellite images from 1991, 2000, 2010, and 2020
The study area witnessed substantial changes in the city’s barren lands, built-up areas, vegetation, and water bodies due to the different push and pull factors that contributed to the urban expansion and socio-development of the city
Summary
The rapid increase in the global rate of urbanisation and subsequent changes in the land use/land covers (LULC) of different cities have substantially influenced the conditions of urban environments [1,2,3,4,5,6]. The various changes in land use attributed to the remarkable growth and expansion of urban areas have continuously attracted widespread global concern, especially in cities of the developed and developing countries, mainly as a result of the massive reduction in biodiversity, alteration of local climatic conditions, and development of surface urban heat islands (UHI) [7,8,9]. The consequences of these trends have led to a decrease in air quality, compromised water resources [10], increased energy consumption [11,12], and damage to human health due to the higher heat stress associated with increased land temperatures in urban centers [13,14,15]. United Nations estimates indicate that in the 29 years, i.e., in 2050, the global urban population can be expected to rise above 68%
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