Understanding land surface temperature on rift areas to examine the spatial variation of urban heat island: the case of Hawassa, southern Ethiopia

Examining the spatial variation of surface temperature is an important criterion to create livable urban environment. To examine the cause of heat island variation in the study area located within the rift zones, an algorithm that was prepared for Landsat 8 band 10 were used by taking the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index threshold method for the estimation of ground emissivity by integrating with the result obtained from MODIS night time data. The LU/LC (land use land cover) maps of the area were prepared with better accuracy using on screen classification technique. The derived LST showed that the surface temperature of the city ranges from 20.6 to 41.30 degrees C and the minimum temperature of the area was observed within the lake and the surrounding areas such as wetland. The maximum temperature was registered on the scattered hills and excavation areas and some parts of bare lands including industrial park of the city. The spatial variation of LST (Land Surface Temperature) in the city is the result of three major factors namely: (1) volcanic products of the geological setting, (2) the nature of the rock (high reflectance) and (3) the LU/LC type. Increasing of evergreen tree cover and rehabilitation of existing mining areas are among the recommended strategy to mitigate the UHI (urban heat island) effects in the city. For future studies in areas that are susceptible to natural heat sources, the satellite data should have high spatial resolution and derived from multiple sensors and satellites that can provide better tools to understand the UHI effect considering the geological setting of the area.