Open Access

ARTICLE

Beyond Urban Heat Islands: Linking Land Surface Temperature to Urban Air Pollution through Geospatial and Correlation Analytics

Yusuf Ahmed Yusuf^1,2,3, Helmi Zulhaidi Mohd Shafri^1,3,*, Kamil Muhammad Kafi^4,5,*, Siti Nur Aliaa Roslan^1,3, Jibrin Gambo^3,6

1 Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia
2 Deparment of Environmental Management, Faculty of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Bayero University, Kano, Nigeria
3 Geospatial Information Science Research Centre (GISRC), Faculty of Engineering, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia
4 Department of Environment, Faculty of Forestry and Environment, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia
5 Department of Urban and Regional Planning, Faculty of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Bayero University, Kano, Nigeria
6 Department of General Studies, Binyaminu Usman Polytechnic, Hadejia, Nigeria

* Corresponding Authors: Helmi Zulhaidi Mohd Shafri. Email: ; Kamil Muhammad Kafi. Email:

Revue Internationale de Géomatique 2026, 35, 491-508. https://doi.org/10.32604/rig.2026.084692

Received 27 April 2026; Accepted 16 July 2026; Issue published 07 August 2026

Abstract

Urbanization alters land surface characteristics, intensifies urban heat, and degrades air quality, posing significant environmental and public health challenges. This study investigated the relationship between urban land surface temperature (LST) and air pollution in Kano Metropolis, Nigeria, using Earth observation data, geospatial techniques, and correlation analysis. Land use/land cover (LULC) analysis revealed that built-up areas account for 67.4% of the metropolitan area, contributing to elevated land surface temperatures, particularly within the densely urbanized local government areas of Kano Municipal, Gwale, Ungogo, Dala, and Fagge, as demonstrated by the LST and Urban Heat Island (UHI) analyses. To evaluate the relationship between urban heat and air quality, Pearson correlation analysis showed strong and statistically significant positive relationships between LST and particulate matter, with PM_2.5 (r = 0.74, p < 0.001) and PM₁₀ (r = 0.61, p < 0.001) exhibiting the strongest associations. In contrast, CO₂, TVOC, and HCHO displayed weak and statistically non-significant relationships with LST. Air Quality Index (AQI) assessment further revealed that 53.6% of the metropolitan area experienced unhealthy air quality, with localized very unhealthy conditions concentrated around commercial cooking areas where biomass fuels are extensively used. These findings indicate that particulate pollution is closely associated with urban surface heating, whereas gaseous pollutants are comparatively less influenced by LST. Overall, the results demonstrate that rapid urbanization, increasing impervious surfaces, and anthropogenic emissions collectively contribute to elevated urban temperatures and deteriorating particulate air quality in Kano Metropolis. These findings provide valuable evidence to support sustainable urban planning through urban greening, the use of high-albedo materials, and cleaner cooking technologies to mitigate urban heat, improve air quality, and reduce public health risks in rapidly urbanizing cities.

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