Effect of Urban Growth on Surface Temperature Variation in Abuja

Abstract

Urbanization can also be seen as the concentration of human activities in specific locations and regions promotes the development of large cities and other forms of urban settlement. The growth and transformation of cities are driven by the forces of attraction between specific locations. This paper aimed at assessing the effect of urban growth on land surface temperature variation in some major urban centres in FCT, Abuja. Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM), Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+) and Landsat-8 Operational Land imager (0LI) images of 1980, 2000 and 2021 respectively were utilized. Land use land cover maps were generated using supervised classification The study revealed that for the past 40years, FCT has been experiencing accelerated urban growth. The study showed that built up is increasing at an annual rate of over 100% while the LST has been on an increase of 5.30, 8.80, and 9.750 in surface temperature within FCC, Kubwa, and Gwagwalada between 1980-2021. The study also recommends that green roofing should be encouraged as it an ideal heat island reduction strategy, providing both direct and ambient cooling effects.