Quantifying Spatio-Temporal Land Surface Temperature and Biophysical Indices for Sustainable Management of Watershed: A Study of Vishwamitri Watershed of Gujarat

Spatio-Temporal Analysis of the nexus between vegetation dynamics and climatic parameters like surface temperature is essential in environmental and biophysical studies and for monitoring and management of watersheds. This study explored the spatio-temporal distribution of land surface temperature (LST), Normalised Difference Water Index (NDWI), and Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and the relationship between them in the Vishwamitri watershed of Gujarat for the Pre Monsoon and Post Monsoon of the Year 2001 and 2016 using Landsat dataset. The findings of the study showed that the LST of the Vishwamitri watershed. The mean LST value of the year 2001 was 46.19°C in the pre-monsoon season and 39.27°C in the post-monsoon season. Mean LST values for the year 2016 were 49.34°C in pre-monsoon and 35.21°C in the post-monsoon season as observed. The spatial distribution of NDVI and LST reflects an inverse relationship. A strong positive correlation between LST with NDVI is observed over highly dense built-up areas. In summary, the LST is greatly controlled by surface characteristics. The results of this study illustrate there has been a dynamic change in vegetation cover of the watershed in all seasons. There was also a negative correlation between LST and NDVI in the studied years. The study concludes that there has been a degradation of vegetation and intensification of LST in the year 2016 as compared with the year 2001. This study can be used as a reference for land use and environmental planning in a tropical city.