MEASURING SURFACE URBAN HEAT ISLAND IN RESPONSE TO POPULATION DENSITY BASED ON REMOTE SENSING DATA AND GIS TECHNIQUES: APPLICATION TO PRISHTINA, KOSOVO

Urban areas, compared to rural areas, have much more visible characteristics of their climate, such as higher surface and air temperatures, and large spatial variation - within the city - of meteorological parameters. The study aimed at investigating the phenomenon of the Surface Urban Heat Island (SUHI) over the Municipality of Prishtina, Kosovo. The SUHI was investigated based on the relationship between Land Surface Temperature (LST) estimated from Landsat 8 Thermal Infrared Sensor (TIRS) band with population density using Geographic Information System (GIS). To understand the relationship between population density and Land Surface Temperature (LST), we performed a correlation analysis. This analysis showed a strong positive relationship with a value of r = 0.768005, emphasizing the strong role that the population has in creating areas that generate the SUHI effect. Also, the results of the study clearly showed that builtup areas and bare surfaces are responsible for generating the SUHI effect, while vegetation and water bodies minimize this effect by creating freshness. The study showed that Land Surface Temperature increases with the increase of impervious surfaces, which is related to the increase of population density. Maps in which the identification of the SUHI effect is presented can be a very useful tool for urban administration as well as for urban planning policies for the latter to be directed exactly in those areas where this phenomenon is present and causes a range of concerns for citizens.