Assessing the Impact of Land Use and Land Cover Change on Land Surface Temperature in Africa: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis with a Focus on Ghana

Authors

  • Michael Stanley Peprah Department of Mining, IHTMOC Consulting Company Limited, Kumasi-Adiembra, Ghana

Keywords:

Land Use Land Cover Change, Land Surface Temperature, Africa, Systematic Review, Meta-Analysis, Ghana

Abstract

This systematic review and meta-analysis investigated the effects of Land Use and Land Cover (LULC) alterations on Land Surface Temperature (LST) throughout Africa, particularly emphasising Ghana. The research utilised the PRISMA procedure to systematically discover, assess, and summarise 52 peer-reviewed papers published from 2000 to 2025. The review utilised Landsat, MODIS, and Sentinel datasets to quantify temperature fluctuations associated with significant land use and land cover shifts, including urban growth, deforestation, and agricultural intensification. The meta-analytic findings indicated that metropolitan regions were, on average, 2.8 °C warmer than vegetated surfaces, with deforestation and agricultural conversion causing temperature rises of 1.6–2.3 °C. Ghana demonstrated a greater mean difference of 3.1 °C relative to the continental norm, mostly because of fast urbanisation in Accra and Kumasi. Regression analyses revealed robust connections between Normalised Difference Built-up Index (NDBI) and LST, with coefficients varying from +12.15 °C to +24.05 °C per unit increase, hence affirming anthropogenic influences on surface warming. Vegetation indices ( Normalised Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI)) exhibited an inverse correlation with LST, highlighting the cooling effect of vegetation. The results reveal significant geographical variability, with hotspots located in Greater Accra, Kumasi, Northern Ghana, and the Savannah Transitional and Pra Basin regions. The study suggests that the loss of forest, unrestrained urban expansion, and degradation caused by mining are increasing thermal stress throughout Ghana. It advocates for cohesive land-use regulations, reforestation, and climate-adaptive agriculture to alleviate surface warming and bolster national resilience in relation to Sustainable Development Goals 11, 13, and 15

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2025-12-31

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Vol. 7 No. 3 (2025): IJESKA

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