Publications

Tabassum, A; Kamal, ASMM; Rahman, MZ; Shahid, S (2025). Impact of urban sprawl on urban heat island in Chittagong: a non-parametric analysis using satellite nighttime light and land surface temperature data for the period 2000-2021. THEORETICAL AND APPLIED CLIMATOLOGY, 156(6), 341.

Abstract
Rapid urbanization poses a significant threat to the thermal environment of coastal cities like Chattogram, Bangladesh. This study investigates the spatiotemporal relationship between urbanization and UHI formation in Chittagong from 2000 to 2021. Satellite-derived nighttime light (NTL) data and MODIS Land Surface Temperature (LST) data have been analyzed for urban expansion, UHI intensity, and LST trends using the Mann-Kendall test and Sen's slope estimator. The NTL data revealed 200 km2 of urban expansion from 2000 to 2021, which escalated the UHI effect within Chattogram City. The daytime temperature of the city has become 3.4 to 6.0 degrees C, while the nighttime temperature is 2.0 to 3.1 degrees C higher than its surroundings. The increases were higher and spatially more widespread during winter. Trend analysis revealed that the annual daytime LST of the city is increasing by 0.21 to 0.23 degrees C per decade. The highest increases were observed in winter nighttime LST, reaching 0.52 degrees C and 0.40 degrees C per decade along the two profiles crossing the city. This indicates a nearly two to three times greater increase in Chattogram City's temperature due to urbanization than the increase due to global warming. These findings highlight the need for sustainable urban development strategies that mitigate UHI effects.

DOI:
10.1007/s00704-025-05487-y

ISSN:
1434-4483