Assessing the spatial-temporal land use & land cover changes and surface urban heat island in Kampala over a period of 2002-2020

Abstract

Many urban and suburban areas experience higher temperatures compared to their neighboring rural surroundings. This difference is what constitutes an urban heat island. This phenomenon is mainly due to urbanization that is accompanied with Land Use and Land Cover Change (LU/LC). In this study, we selected Landsat images for years 2002, 2012 and 2020 to retrieve Land Surface Temperature (LST) as well as the LU/LC and analyze their spatial and temporal characteristics. The results showed that there was a consistent increase in the built-up area during the interval of years 2002 – 2020. In addition to that, the study showed that LST for Kampala varied between 13.27 and 29.7913 ◦C in 2002; 17.3958 to 37.5127 ◦C in 2012; and 15.0215 to 30.8032 ◦C in 2020. From the analysis of LST, it was found that the spatial distribution of high LST has a shifting pattern. Understanding the LU/LC and SUHI is very crucial in urban planning therefore, The outcome of this research can be utilized for the formulation of SUHI mitigation strategies in Kampala and cities with similar geographical conditions.