Tracking the Temporal Changes in Land Surface Temperature, Vegetation, and Built-up Patterns in Rizal Province, Philippines using Landsat Imagery

Abstract

The Rizal Province was subjected to a series of natural and human-induced disturbances throughout the years. Currently, the area is undergoing urbanization which in turn results in shifts in the extent of impervious surfaces that can intensify heat-related health concerns, increase energy consumption for cooling, and alter local weather patterns. This study uses remote sensing images from to quantify the various environmental considerations that remain undocumented and unmapped for areas caused by changes in land use and land cover from Landsat Collection 1- Level 1 (Landsat 4-5 ™ C1- Level 1 & Landsat 8 OLI/ TIRS C1 Level 1) and calculated three parameters namely, (i) Land surface temperature (LST), (ii) Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), and (iii) the Normalized Difference Built-up Index (NDBI). The results showed the following: (i) an increase in the vegetation cover from 1993-2020 showed a decrease in LST from 29.34°C to 24.03°C, (ii) the relationship between LST and NDBI is directly proportional, whereas an inversely proportional relationship can be observed between LST and NDVI, and (iii) there is a fluctuating LST due to the changes in the land cover of the study site for almost three decades. This implicates the extensive shift in the ambient temperature of Rizal which further emphasizes the effects of the modification in certain land use land cover classifications, especially in vegetation cover and urban development. This highlights how human-induced and natural factors significantly contribute to the release of heat and ambient temperature, thus, accentuating the need for sustainable urban planning.