Der Masterstudiengang „Transformation of Urban Landscapes“ (TUL) ist mittlerweile ein Auslaufmodell unter den Studiengängen am Geographischen Institut. Einer seiner letzten Absolventen, Moruff Oyeniyi (aus Nigeria), hat jedoch nicht nur durch hervorragende Leistungen im Studium und in der Masterarbeit überzeugt, sondern auch jüngst mit seinen Betreuern ein Paper aus den Ergebnissen der Arbeit verfasst und international veröffentlicht. Im TUL-Studiengang beträgt die Bearbeitungsdauer von Masterarbeiten lediglich 12 Wochen. Moruff Oyeniyi ist es in der verhältnismäßig kurzen Bearbeitungszeit dennoch gelungen – methodisch fundiert – Ergebnisse zu generieren, die dem internationalen Peer-Review-Verfahren des Impact-Journals Climate standhielten.

Spatiotemporal Analysis of Land Use Change and Urban Heat Island Effects in Akure and Osogbo, Nigeria Between 2014 and 2023.

Abstract:

Rapid urbanization and climate impacts have raised concerns about the emergence and aggravation of urban heat island effects. In Africa, studies have focused more on big cities due to their growing populations and high climate impact, while mid-sized cities remain under-studied, with limited comparative insights into their distinct characteristics. This study therefore provided a spatiotemporal analysis of land use land cover change (LULCC) and surface urban heat islands (SUHI) effects in the Nigerian mid-sized cities of Akure and Osogbo from 2014 to 2023. This study used Landsat 8 and 9 imagery (2014 and 2023) and analyzed data via Google Earth Engine and ArcGIS Pro 3.4. Results showed that Akure’s built areas increased significantly from 164.026 km2 to 224.191 km2 while Osogbo witnessed a smaller expansion from 41.808 km2 to 58.315 km2 in built areas. This study identified Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and emissivity patterns associated with vegetation and thermal emissions and a positive association between LST and urbanization. The findings across Akure and Osogbo cities established that LULCC has different impacts on SUHI effects. As a result, evidence from a mid-sized city might not be extended to other cities of similar size and socioeconomic characteristics without caution.

Bibliographische Angabe des Papers:

Oyeniyi, M. A., Odunsi, O. M., Rienow, A., & Edler, D. (2025). Spatiotemporal Analysis of Land Use Change and Urban Heat Island Effects in Akure and Osogbo, Nigeria Between 2014 and 2023. Climate, 13(4), 68. https://doi.org/10.3390/cli13040068