Analysis of Urbanization Impact on Land Surface Temperature Variability by Using Landsat Imagery

Urbanization is one of the most important human-dominated activities that has impacted the Earth’s ecosystem, biodiversity, and regional climate. With the advent of COVID-19 in 2020, the imposition of complete lockdown in India significantly altered urban activities in India in terms of industrial activities, economic development, import–export and means of transport. Environmental experts anticipate substantial alterations in various environmental conditions due to the lockdown measures. With this view, this paper investigates the influence of different levels of urban activities on land surface temperature (LST) in major Indian cities: Bangalore, Delhi, Kolkata, and Mumbai. LST variations are analyzed across pre-COVID and COVID lockdown periods to understand the impact of urban dynamics on surface temperature. A total of 54 images from Landsat 8 sensor data, spanning 2018–2020, are utilized to capture changes in LST amidst varying levels of urban activities. Results indicate higher LST in 2018 and 2019, followed by a reduction in 2020 attributed to COVID-19 related restrictions. The observed decrease in LST during the lockdown underlines the influence of urban activities on surface temperature dynamics. This study underscores the importance of considering urban dynamics in environmental assessments and emphasizes the need for sustainable urban planning and extreme climate mitigation strategies.