Multitemporal Analysis of the Relationship Between Vegetation Density and Built-Up Land to the Urban Heat Island Phenomenon in Cirebon City

Abstract The attractiveness of Cirebon City as a target for urbanization lies in its strategic location and significant development, particularly in tourism, the service industry, and culture. As a result, vegetation has been transformed into urban development, leading to a subsequent rise in land surface temperatures and causing the Urban Heat Island (UHI) phenomenon. UHI is prevalent in urban areas and diminishes in peripheral regions. This research aims to investigate the correlation between vegetation density and built-up areas to the UHI phenomenon in Cirebon City, utilizing Landsat-8 data for the years 2014 and 2023. Normalized Difference Built-Up Index (NDBI) is used to identify built-up areas, vegetation density is identified with the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) algorithm, and Land Surface Temperature (LST) data is obtained from thermal band extraction. The results of the LST analysis were used to describe the Urban UHI phenomenon. Findings throughout the study period revealed significant changes in built-up land and vegetation density, while dynamic changes occurred in LST and UHI. The results also show that there is a positive correlation between the built-up land index and UHI, which indicates a unidirectional relationship. Meanwhile, the vegetation density index to UHI is negatively correlated, which means it shows an inverse relationship.