Impact of Land Cover Variability Indices on Land Surface Temperature Using Multi-Temporal Landsat Data in Greater Accra, Ghana

Due to the increased anthropogenic activities, vegetated and green spaces are decreasing and are getting replaced by impervious surfaces, especially in cities. This leads to the increase in the surface temperature of urban areas when compared to the rural regions leading to the formation of urban heat island. Due to the higher rate of population increase and a lack of infrastructural facilities and regulations to mitigate the negative consequences of urbanisation, it is critical in developing countries to obtain timely and accurate information on the urban trend and its development. The current study examines the urban development of Greater Accra, Ghana using Landsat 7 dataset acquired during 2002, 2013, and 2020. Further, the influence of urban growth on the land surface temperature (LST) and land cover variability (LCV) indices including NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index), NDBI (Normalized Difference Built-Up Index), and NDWI (Normalized Difference Water Index) is identified during the study periods. According to the findings, the built-up area in the study region quadrupled between 2002 and 2020. According to Shannon's entropy analysis, the region's urban development is heterogeneous or dispersive. Furthermore, the regression analysis reveals a strong positive relationship between LST and NDBI (0.755), as well as a negative relationship between LST and NDVI (0.4417) and LST and NDWI (0.4417). (0.76). The study's findings could be used to develop sustainable urban socioeconomic and environmental planning policies in the study region.