Land Surface Temperature versus Land Use and Land Cover in the Semi-Arid Region: An analysis for two wet and dry seasons in the Municipality of Cajazeiras, State of Paraíba

Abstract

Considering concerns about anthropogenic climate change, this study analyzes the association between land surface temperature and land use and land cover types during dry and wet seasons in the years 2013 and 2018 in Cajazeiras, a municipality located in the semi-arid zone of the State of Paraíba, whose main vegetation type is Caatinga. The data sources were the land use and cover classification provided by MapBiomas for the years in question (2013 and 2018) and the processing of LANDSAT 8 satellite images to obtain LST and NDVI. The main statistical techniques used were the Shapiro-Wilk normality test, Spearman's Correlation Coefficient (ρ), and the generation of boxplot and scatterplot graphics. The results showed that, even in drier periods, areas with preserved surfaces tend to have lower temperatures than areas modified by human activities, underscoring the importance of careful planning before undertaking abrupt land use changes.