Due to the negative consequences of urban heat islands (UHI) on urban ecology, Identifying the regional variation of land surface temperature (LST) offers a clear picture of the UHI phenomena. Delineating the impact of UHI on land cover changes and land surface temperature (LST) is of utmost importance due to its dynamic nature. This study uses Landsat Images TM, ETM, and OLI sensors over the southwestern region of Nigeria, consisting of Ekiti, Osun, Ondo, Oyo, Ogun, and Lagos. A supervised classification was performed by creating a training sample from four classifications: vegetation, built-up, water body, and bare surface. Our results during the observed period (1986, 2002, and 2007) show that the distribution pattern has changed due to evolving urban surface characteristics and the influence of anthropogenic activities. The result of the research revealed that Southwest Nigeria has gone through rapid urban expansion that is expected to continue in the future, 20% decline in vegetal coverage 15% increase in bare soil, amounting to a total of 35% change caused by human activities during the investigation period. The result further reveals the existence of an inverse connection between LST and NDVI with correlation coefficients of −0.8738, −0.8594, and −0.8546, respectively, which suggests that the growth of vegetation in any geographical location reduces the intensity of the land surface temperature over the area, which might be used to minimize the impacts of Urban Heat Island.
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