Analysis of the Relationship between Land Surface Temperature and Land Cover Changes Using Multi-Temporal Satellite Data

Rapid urbanization, coupled with the tremendous growth in population and built-up areas in cities, leads to problems associated with global climate change impacts, such as urban heat island effect, which influences regional climate, urban environmental pollution, and socio-economic development. This study aims to detect the spatial variation of land surface temperature (LST) and determine its quantitative relationship with land cover types using the techniques of remote sensing and geographic information system. Taking the city of Zhengzhou as the study area, we utilized four Landsat TM images from 1988 to 2017 to classify land cover types by maximum likelihood classification and retrieve the LST by using a mono-window algorithm. Results show that the urban heat island areas have an expanding trend from 1988 to 2017 in general. Moreover, the spatial distribution pattern and extension of the urban heat islands are consistent with urban sprawl. Changes in land cover type altered the spatial distribution characteristics of LST from 1988 to 2017. In various land cover types, the construction land and bare land showed the highest temperature, and they significantly contributed to the heat island effect. Green land and water can effectively relieve the heat island effect. Finally, constructive strategies and measures to alleviate the urban heat island effect are proposed from different aspects. Therefore, this work provides a scientific reference for decision making to improve the thermal environment and achieve sustainable development in the future.