Investigation of the changing patterns of the land use land cover over Osogbo and its environs

The progressive nature of urbanization plays a prominent role in land–atmosphere processes, which have corresponding impacts on the general environment. This research investigated the changing patterns of the land use land cover over Osogbo and its environs using remote sensing data obtained from Landsat TM, ETM+ and OLI/TIRS sensors. The changes in four land use classes were assessed for the years 1984, 2000 and 2015. The land surface temperature (LST) of the area was estimated from the satellite images covering the study periods, and the surface urban heat island (SUHI) process was also investigated between the city of Osogbo and the surrounding towns. The results showed major urban expansion leading to urban sprawl within the vicinity. Urban area increased by 5106 ha while vegetation decreased by 8653 ha between 1984 and 2015 indicating major variations in the land surface features. This was revealed by the increase in the LST over the locations which ranged between 22.6°C and 30°C (mean, 25.2°C) in 1984 and between 29.3°C and 36.7°C (mean, 31°C) in 2015. The highest SUHI intensity was observed between the major urban area (Osogbo) and least developed towns. The continuous increase in the surface temperature of the environment due to the continuous variations in the land surface properties implies increased risk of heat-related environmental issues such as deterioration of thermal comfort conditions.