The Study of the Relationship of Surface Temperatures with Urban Vegetation: Case of the City of Mostaganem, Algeria

Urban and industrialized areas contribute to warming compared to the surrounding rural or natural areas, forming the urban heat islands (UHI) (Oke, 1982 ; Bounoua et al., 2009, 2017, 2018). This phenomenon represents the most remarkable manifestation of the city’s local climate. However, non-stressed vegetation acts as a strong modulator of the city’s surface energy balance (Bounoua et al., 2015 ; Bachir et al, 2021). Satellite remote sensing appears to be one of the most suitable means for studying and monitoring UHI and is used in this study to analyse the surface UHI and vegetation in the city of Mostaganem. In this study focusing on the city of Mostaganem in Algeria, land surface temperatures (LST) and normalized vegetation index (NDVI) were determined from landsat satellite images following a mono-window algorithm. The objective of this work is to study the impact of urban vegetation on the intensity of the surface UHI. The study revealed that when vegetation is more common in an area, the LST is low. However, in summer vegetation can be stressed and photosynthesis inhibited, which contributes to more warming. From the surface temperature map, the hottest areas were selected. these areas are considered as surface urban heat islands, among them appears surface UHI of the city center of Mostaganem. In recent years this site has experienced uprooting of trees due to the new passage of tram. This can be considered one of the factors contributing to the formation of the site's urban heat island.