Investigation of the Impact of Urbanization to Urban Heat Island – A Comparison Between Perth and Muscat

Abstract. Urbanization has led to changes in land use and land cover (LU/LC) from non-urban areas to urban areas, significantly impacting local climates, particularly through the Surface Urban Heat Island (SUHI) effect, where urban areas are warmer than rural ones. This study quantifies the impact of urbanization on SUHI intensity in Perth and Muscat, analysing how LU/LC changes influence SUHI intensity and its spatio-temporal patterns. Utilizing high-resolution Landsat 8 and Landsat 7/5 data, along with MODIS's temporal capabilities, the research provides an in-depth understanding of LU/LC changes and their implications on SUHI dynamics. For analysing LU/LC changes, data processing involved cloud-pixel elimination, atmospheric correction, and Co-registration of MODIS and Landsat. Land surface temperature (LST) is derived from Landsat imagery by calculating radiance, brightness temperature, and emissivity, followed by correction for land cover type. The research findings demonstrate the significant impact of urban expansion on local climates and the strong influence of LU/LC patterns on SUHI intensity in Perth and Muscat.