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Urban Heat Island Dynamics in African Megacities: A Multi-Sensor Remote Sensing Approach

Dr. Sarah Chen, Mohammed Bello
Published
September 5, 2023
Read Time
12 minutes
Citations
31
Field
climate_resilience

Abstract

Analysis of urban heat island effects in Lagos, Nairobi, and Johannesburg using Landsat thermal bands and MODIS data, identifying correlations between land surface temperature and vegetation indices.

Citation

apa
Dr. Sarah Chen, Mohammed Bello (2023). Urban Heat Island Dynamics in African Megacities: A Multi-Sensor Remote Sensing Approach. SpatioNEX Research.
mla
Dr. Sarah Chen, Mohammed Bello. "Urban Heat Island Dynamics in African Megacities: A Multi-Sensor Remote Sensing Approach." SpatioNEX Research, 2023.
chicago
Dr. Sarah Chen, Mohammed Bello. "Urban Heat Island Dynamics in African Megacities: A Multi-Sensor Remote Sensing Approach." SpatioNEX Research (2023).
bibtex
@article{spationex,
  title={Urban Heat Island Dynamics in African Megacities: A Multi-Sensor Remote Sensing Approach},
  author={Dr. Sarah Chen, Mohammed Bello},
  journal={SpatioNEX Research},
  year={2023},
  volume={null},
  pages={null},
  doi={null}
}

Urban Heat Island (UHI) effect is increasingly critical in rapidly urbanizing African cities. This study analyzes UHI patterns in three African megacities using multi-temporal remote sensing data from 2000-2023.

Data and Methods

Landsat 5/7/8/9 Thermal Infrared Sensors (TIRS)

MODIS Land Surface Temperature (LST) products

Sentinel-2 for NDVI calculation

• Statistical analysis using Pearson correlation and multiple linear regression

Results

1. Average UHI intensity increased by 2.3°C in Nairobi (2000-2023)

2. Strong negative correlation between LST and NDVI: r = -0.78

3. Industrial areas showed 4.2°C higher temperatures than vegetated areas

4. Proposed green infrastructure could reduce UHI by 1.5-2.0°C

Publication Details

Funding
World Bank

Keywords

urban heat island
Landsat
MODIS
thermal remote sensing
urban planning
climate adaptation
African cities
land surface temperature

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