Assessment of urban thermal field variance index and defining the relationship between land cover and surface temperature in Chattogram city: A remote sensing and statistical approach

Land Cover (LC) is going through a dramatic change due to rapid urbanization, especially in urban areas. The impervious land covers (built-up areas) are replacing the natural land covers (vegetation and waterbody) rapidly, which significantly contributes to the increase of Land Surface Temperature (LST). Increased LST deteriorates the meteorological condition in urban areas and causes Surface Urban Heat Island (SUHI) effect. The vulnerability of the SUHI effect can be described quantitatively and qualitatively by Urban Thermal Field Variance Index (UTFVI) phenomenon. The study investigates the changing pattern of the SUHI and its magnitude with Landsat TM/OLI time-series satellite imageries from 1988 to 2018 and establishes the relationship between LC change and LST variations in Chattogram city. The relationships are defined…