Urbanization‑induced land use/land cover change and its impact on surface temperature and heat fluxes over two major cities in Western Ethiopia

Abstract

Much of the urbanization that occurs in Africa creates the potential for technological devel opment and economic growth but is also a breed ing ground for environmental and health problems. This study was undertaken to evaluate the urban induced land use/land cover (LULC) change and its contribution to the land surface temperature (LST) and urban heat fluxes from 2001 to 2021. More spe cifically, the study analyzed different scenarios of LULC change and retrieved the LST to evaluate the trends of the urban heat flux (UHI) in response to the urban-induced LULC change. The analysis of LULC change from 2001 to 2021 indicated that built-up and bare land showed the highest rate of increase at the expense of declining open spaces, agricultural land, and vegetation areas. The built-up areas in Nekemte and Jimma City increased by 929.25 ha (172.75%) and 2285.64 ha (226.93%) over the investigated period, respectively. The highest changes in LULC are seen in built-up areas followed by agricultural land, while the smallest changes are shown by water body followed by bare land. Built-up areas showed the highest net gain, while agricultural land experi enced the greatest loss. In areas where the vegetation cover is low, low LST was depicted, and high LSTwas shown in areas where built-up areas were con centrated in both cities. Due to the LULC changes, the average LST increased by 1.9 °C and 2.2 °C in Nekemte and Jimma City, respectively, over the last 21 years. The urbanization-induced LULC change does not only cause changes in the hydrological pro cess but also changes in the thermal variations and urban heat stress of the two urban centers. The result indicates that the increases in vegetation and green areas are significant in improving the heat stress and thermal characteristics of urban areas. Overall, to achieve sustainable urban development, the integra tion of land use with urban planning policies could be critical to the resilience of local environment and urban ecosystem.