Land Surface Temperature in Response to Land Use/Cover Change Based on Remote Sensing Data and GIS Techniques: Application to Saiss Plain, Morocco

In order to analyze the impact of land use and land cover change on land surface temperature (LST), remote sensing is the most appropriate tool. Land use/cover change has been confirmed to have a significant impact on climate through various aspects that modulate LST and precipitation. However, there are no studies which illustrate this link in the Fez-Meknes region using satellite observations. Thus, the aim of this study was to monitor LST as a function of the land use change in the Saiss plain. In the study, 12 Landsat images of the year 2019 (one image per month) were used to represent the variation of LST during the year, and 2 images per year in 1988, 1999 and 2009 to study the interannual variation in LST. The mapping results showed that the land use/cover in the region has undergone a significant evolution; an increase in the arboriculture and urbanized areas to detriment of arable lands and rangelands. On the basis of statistical analyses, LST varies during the phases of plant growth in all seasons and that it is diversified due to the positional influence of land use type. The relationship between LST and NDVI shows a negative correlation (LST decreases when NDVI increases). This explains the increase in LST in rangelands and arable land, while it decreases in irrigated crops and arboriculture.