The localization of urban heat island in the Katowice conurbation (Poland) using the combination of land surface temperature, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index and Normalized Difference Built-up Index

Abstract

The localization of Surface Urban Heat Island (SUHI) as a potential heat risk for the urban population was evaluated. The paper aimed to propose an approach to quantify and localize (SUHI) based on Landsat series TM, ETM+, OLI satellite imageries from the period 1996-2018 and recognize the Atmospheric Urban Heat Island (AUHI) effects from long term temperature measurements. Using the theoretical relation between the Normalized Difference Built-up Index (NDBI), the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and the LST (Land Surface Temperature), SUHIintensity and SUHIrisk maps were created from the combination of LST, NDVI, NDBI using threshold values to localize urban heat island in the Katowice conurbation. Negative values of SUHI intensity characterize areas where there is no vegetation, highly built-up areas, and areas with high surface temperatures. The urban grow – revealed from SUHI – and global climate change are acting together to strengthen the global AUHI effect in the region as the temperature measurements were indicated.