Document Type : Original Article

Authors

• Hassan Mahmoudzadeh ¹
• Hadi Hakimi ²
• Ramin Asghari Fesghendis ³

¹ Professor, Urban and Regional Planning Departement, Faculty of Planning and Environmental Sciences, University of Tabriz.Tabriz, Iran

² Department of Urban and regional Planning, Faculty of Planning and Environmental Sciences, University of Tabriz.

³ Ph.D. student of Geography and Urban Planning, Aras International Campus, University of Tabriz, Tabriz, Iran.

Abstract

he urbanization process intensifies urban population growth and the Urban Heat Island (UHI) effect through the absorption of rural migrants, leading to higher temperatures in cities compared to their surrounding areas. This phenomenon, coupled with increased energy demand, air pollution, and greenhouse gas emissions, poses a threat to human health. The present study analyzed factors influencing UHI intensity using Land Surface Temperature (LST) data across four regions of the Tabriz metropolitan area over a 40-year period (1984-2024). The indices employed included NDVI (vegetation cover), NDBI (built-up area), LST, UHI, RH (humidity), and AQI (Air Quality Index). Data comprised Landsat (5 & 8) satellite imagery, humidity calculated via the Penman-Monteith method, and air quality station data from Tabriz, analyzed using multivariate linear regression.

The findings indicate:

NDVI and RH exhibited cooling effects, reducing UHI intensity with negative coefficients.

However, this effect was negligible compared to the substantial increase in built-up areas (NDBI) and the reduction in green space.

The increased coefficients for NDBI and AQI in 2024 (compared to 1984 and 2004) signify the decisive role of urbanization and air pollution in exacerbating the heat island effect within Region 4 of Tabriz.

These results underscore the necessity for sustainable urban planning, green space development, and efficient land-use management to mitigate UHI impacts.

Keywords

• Urban Heat Islands (UHIs)
• Remote Sensing
• Multiple Linear Regression
• Multi-Temporal Approach
• District 4 of Tabriz

Main Subjects

• Remote sensing and Gis