Impact of land-use dynamics on land surface temperature in Mumbai city, India: A geospatial approach

To assess and monitor the environmental dynamics on a regional or global scale, Land Surface Temperature (LST) has been estimated for South Mumbai, using Landsat data for the years 2000, 2010, 2015, and 2020. The urban heat island (UHI) effect has also been assessed by analysing the LST pattern in the study area. The normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) analysis shows that LST and UHI effects are less when vegetation cover is high. On the contrary, the normalized difference built-up index (NDBI) is directly proportional to LST which indicates the impact of human activities on LST as well as UHI. The relationship between LST of the study area and ambient air temperature has shown a strong correlation with an increasing trend of LST from 2000 to 2020. The study reveals that the average LST of Mumbai has been increased from 27.1 to 32.7 °C in the last twenty years. The ward-wise temperature profile analysis has been carried out to address the worst thermal discomfort zone and associated population. The study suggests increasing the green space for maintaining the average LST in Mumbai. This study provides a baseline for future studies like LST and human health, climate change, assessment of the ecological status, etc. of the urban environment.