The effect of land use on land surface temperature in the Netherlands

The Netherlands has experienced a rapid rate of land use change from 2000 to 2008. Land use change is especially urban expansion and open agriculture reduction which is due to enhanced economic growth. This thesis reports an investigation into the application of remote sensing, geographic information systems (GIS) and statistical methods to provide quantitative information on the effect of land use on land surface temperature. Remote sensing techniques were used to retrieve the land surface temperature by using MODIS Terra (MOD11A2) product. As land use change alters the thermal environment, LST could be a proper change indicator to show thermal changes in relation to land use changes. GIS was further applied to extract the coverage ratio of each land use in the context of LST pixels. Using correlation and linear regression this interrelationship was then quantified. Night land surface temperature correlates positively with the coverage percentage of open agriculture, forest and greenhouse farming. This association is negative for buildup are and inland water and offshore land use types. The results also show that inland water and offshore area has the highest night LST and the lowest day LST. Build up is the warmest land use during the days and the second warm land use during the night time. The result of this research will be helpful for urban planners and environmental scientists.