Seasonal variations in land surface temperature based on local climatic zone in the major metropolitan cities of India

Local Climate Zone (LCZ) is an effective classification scheme for quantifying and understanding the Urban Heat Island (UHI). There is a need of research that analyze the relationship of LST with LCZ and its seasonal variation in the metropolitan cities of India as they are facing a continuous loss of natural landcover and an increase in impervious land. This study aims to visualize and assess seasonal variations in LST and its LCZ-wise variation. In this paper, LCZ mapping is performed using SAGA GIS according to the guidelines of WUDAPT (World Urban Database and Access Portal Tools). Seasonal LST mapping is also done to get an idea about the average temperature of a particular LCZ class in a specific season of the year. The results confirmed that: (1) Average seasonal LST has difference of 3-4 °C among inter urban LCZs except in New Delhi in winter season. (2) Among all the built-up categories, open mid-rise (LCZ-5) has comparatively higher LST in all seasons. (3) Among non-built-up categories, rock or paved surfaces (LCZ E) have the highest LST, while shrubs or bushes (LCZ-C) have the lowest LST. The findings of this research could be adopted by urban planners for climate-sensitive sustainable development.