Changes in Urbanization and Urban Heat Island Effect in Dhaka City
Abstract Urbanization changes the local environment, resulting in urban heat island (UHI) effect and deteriorating human life quality. Knowledge of urban environments and temperature changes is important to outline the urban planning process for mitigation of UHI effect. The study aimed to assess the changes in urban areas and UHI effects in Dhaka city, Bangladesh from 2001to 2017, using Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) daily day- and nighttime land surface temperature (LST) data from 2001to 2017. The expansion of the city was calculated using the city clustering algorithm (CCA). The temperature of the identified urbanized area was analyzed and compared with the adjacent regions. The changes in urban temperature were estimated using non-parametric statistical methods. The results showed that the Dhaka city area has grown by 19.12% and its inhabitants by 76.65% during 2001–2017. Urban expansion and dense settlements caused an increase in average temperature in some areas of Dhaka city nearly 3°C compared to that at its boundary. The day and night temperatures at Dhaka city's warmest location were nearly 7 and 5ºC, respectively, more than the coolest point outside the city. The city's annual average day- and nighttime temperature was increasing at a rate of 0.03° and 0.023°C/year over the period 2001–2017. The rising temperature would increase the UHI effect in the future, which combined with high humidity, may cause a significant increase in public health risk in the city if mitigation practices are not followed.