Comparing the Environmental Effects of Land Use Changes on Vegetation Cover and Emitted Land Surface Temperature in urban and Non-Urban Areas Using Remote Sensing

In this study, the environmental effects of land use changes on vegetation cover and emitted land surface temperature in two urban and non-urban areas of Ardakan in Yazd province, Iran, were studied and compared temporally, using remote sensing technique. For this purpose, contemporary Land sat satellite images in 1990 and 2002 were acquired and used. Then vegetation cover maps were generated using NDVI derivation and also classified into six categories (very good, good, medium, poor, very poor, non-covered) in 1990 and 2002. For quality evaluation of temporal changes in emitted land surface temperature, Land sat thermal infrared band (band 6) was used and calibrated and finally classified into four temperature classes (very cool, cool, warm, very warm). The occupied area of all classes were calculated and compared, temporally. Results show that in non-urban areas, both vegetation cover and emitted surface temperature changes are negligible. On the other side, in urban areas, total vegetation cover decreased by 36.2 %, whereas emitted surface temperature has increased, significantly. Consequently, land use changes in urban areas has important role in surface temperature regulation. Therefore, this key subject has to be attended by decision makers