Spatiotemporal detection of land use/land cover changes and land surface temperature using Landsat and MODIS data across the coastal Kanyakumari district, India

This study assesses the changes in land use/land cover (LULC) and land surface temperature (LST) to identify their impacts from 2000 to 2020 along the coast of Kanyakumari district, India using remote sensing techniques. Landsat images are used to estimate the LULC changes and the MODIS data for LST. The Maximum Likelihood Classification (MLC) method is used, and the LULC is classified into six categories: Agriculture Land, Barren Land, Salt Pan, Sandy Beach, Settlement, and Waterbody. Within the two decades of the present change detection study, upheave in the Settlement area of 49.89% is noticed, and the Agriculture Land is exploited by 20.09%. Salt Pan emits a high LST of 31.57 °C, and the Waterbodies are noticed with a low LST of 28.9 °C. However, the overall rate of LST decreased by 0.56 °C during this period. This study will help policymakers make appropriate planning and management to overcome the impact of LULC and LST in the forthcoming years.