Modeling and Analysis of Land Surface Temperature Variations in Basrah Governorate, Iraq, Using Remote Sensing Data and Geomatics Techniques

This study was conducted within the administrative boundaries of Basrah Governorate, Iraq, covering a total area of approximately 354.450 km2 from the southern borders of Al-Haritha District to the northern borders of Al-Qurnah District along the Shatt al-Arab River and its surrounding areas. The field data on daily temperature values were collected from the Al-Qurnah meteorological station. Surface temperature values in the study area were calculated and modeled by deriving thermal energy values from the 10th spectral band (Band 10) of Landsat-8 satellite imagery using the thermal energy balance algorithm. The study’s results showed a strong correlation between the temperature values obtained from the meteorological station and the values calculated from remote sensing data using the thermal energy balance algorithm, with the correlation coefficients ranging from 0.950 to 0.982. Furthermore, there was a noticeable temporal variation in surface temperature values in the months of January and July for the years 2018–2022. Generally, the highest temperature values were recorded in July, while the lowest values were recorded in January for all the study years. The results also demonstrated a clear spatial variation in temperature values according to the location of each category. The values generally decreased in areas close to the Shatt al-Arab River and in regions with higher soil moisture content and good vegetation cover. In contrast, they increased in arid and urban areas.