Abstract
Land Surface Temperature (LST) is a crucial parameter for assessing the thermal comfort of urban residents. This study investigates the impact of land use/land cover changes on the variations in land surface temperature from 1989 to 2019 at 10-year intervals in Hyderabad city, Telangana. The mono window and split window algorithms were employed to derive LST, while the contribution index was utilized to analyze changes in the contribution of land use/land cover (LULC) to LST. The built-up area has witnessed a notable increase from 35.81–56.49%, accompanied by corresponding decreases in barren land (42.73–33.42%), vegetation (19.39–8.20%), and water bodies (2.07% to 8.20). The study further indicates that barren land significantly contributes to LST, with a decreasing trend observed from 1989 to 2019. The mitigating effects of water bodies (-0.14 to -0.1) and vegetation (-0.42 to -0.06) on LST have diminished over the same period. Additionally, a decline in Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) for vegetation and Normalized Difference water Index (NDWI) for water bodies reflects increased stress and pollution in their respective LULC areas. Furthermore, the decrease in the Normalized Difference Barren Land Index (NDBaI) and Normalized Difference Built-up Index (NDBI) depicts urban expansion and the transformation of primary barren land to cultivation. This research enhances our understanding of how shifting landscapes influence a material's surface energy budget. Analyzing the interplay between land cover and incoming radiation throughout the day provides insights into the effects of climate change.