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Remote sensing of urban heat dynamics and the cooling effect of urban green spaces in Ethiopian cities

Moges, Desalew Meseret LU ; Mattisson, Kristoffer LU orcid ; Malmqvist, Ebba LU orcid and Olsson, Per Ola LU (2026) In Environmental Challenges 23.
Abstract

Rapid urban growth is making cities hotter, a trend further exacerbated by climate change. Urban green spaces (UGS) are commonly used as nature-based solutions to reduce heat, but there are gaps in understanding how cooling effects vary across climate zones. Using satellite data from 2021 to 2024, we examined urban heat and UGS patterns during the hot season across four Ethiopian cities with different sizes, topographies, and climates. UGS expanded more exposed to heat. Daytime surface temperatures decreased in all cities, indicating UGS-related cooling, while nighttime temperatures showed more mixed results. UGS had a strong cooling effect in Addis Ababa and Jimma (R² = 0.53–0.77; p < 0.001), moderate effects in Adama (R² =... (More)

Rapid urban growth is making cities hotter, a trend further exacerbated by climate change. Urban green spaces (UGS) are commonly used as nature-based solutions to reduce heat, but there are gaps in understanding how cooling effects vary across climate zones. Using satellite data from 2021 to 2024, we examined urban heat and UGS patterns during the hot season across four Ethiopian cities with different sizes, topographies, and climates. UGS expanded more exposed to heat. Daytime surface temperatures decreased in all cities, indicating UGS-related cooling, while nighttime temperatures showed more mixed results. UGS had a strong cooling effect in Addis Ababa and Jimma (R² = 0.53–0.77; p < 0.001), moderate effects in Adama (R² = 0.24–0.42; p < 0.05), and little effect in Harar (R² ≤ 0.07; p > 0.05). This demonstrates that UGS influences heat differently depending on local climate and land cover. Heat hotspots were linked to impervious surfaces, urban agriculture, and soil moisture differences rather than UGS alone. Heatwave patterns also differed: Addis Ababa and Jimma experienced longer but less intense heatwaves, while Adama and Harar experienced shorter but more intense heatwaves. Overall, the results highlight the need for city-specific greening and surface-cover strategies to reduce heat risks and promote climate-resilient urban growth in Ethiopia and other regions experiencing rapid warming.

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author
; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Land surface temperature, Nature-based solutions, Remote sensing, Spatiotemporal analysis, Urban green space
in
Environmental Challenges
volume
23
article number
101462
publisher
Elsevier
external identifiers
  • scopus:105033280152
ISSN
2667-0100
DOI
10.1016/j.envc.2026.101462
language
English
LU publication?
yes
additional info
Publisher Copyright: © 2026 The Authors
id
6670bb1d-d580-47f9-9a72-9b9677bb9b73
date added to LUP
2026-04-28 13:16:39
date last changed
2026-04-28 13:17:07
@article{6670bb1d-d580-47f9-9a72-9b9677bb9b73,
  abstract     = {{<p>Rapid urban growth is making cities hotter, a trend further exacerbated by climate change. Urban green spaces (UGS) are commonly used as nature-based solutions to reduce heat, but there are gaps in understanding how cooling effects vary across climate zones. Using satellite data from 2021 to 2024, we examined urban heat and UGS patterns during the hot season across four Ethiopian cities with different sizes, topographies, and climates. UGS expanded more exposed to heat. Daytime surface temperatures decreased in all cities, indicating UGS-related cooling, while nighttime temperatures showed more mixed results. UGS had a strong cooling effect in Addis Ababa and Jimma (R² = 0.53–0.77; p &lt; 0.001), moderate effects in Adama (R² = 0.24–0.42; p &lt; 0.05), and little effect in Harar (R² ≤ 0.07; p &gt; 0.05). This demonstrates that UGS influences heat differently depending on local climate and land cover. Heat hotspots were linked to impervious surfaces, urban agriculture, and soil moisture differences rather than UGS alone. Heatwave patterns also differed: Addis Ababa and Jimma experienced longer but less intense heatwaves, while Adama and Harar experienced shorter but more intense heatwaves. Overall, the results highlight the need for city-specific greening and surface-cover strategies to reduce heat risks and promote climate-resilient urban growth in Ethiopia and other regions experiencing rapid warming.</p>}},
  author       = {{Moges, Desalew Meseret and Mattisson, Kristoffer and Malmqvist, Ebba and Olsson, Per Ola}},
  issn         = {{2667-0100}},
  keywords     = {{Land surface temperature; Nature-based solutions; Remote sensing; Spatiotemporal analysis; Urban green space}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  publisher    = {{Elsevier}},
  series       = {{Environmental Challenges}},
  title        = {{Remote sensing of urban heat dynamics and the cooling effect of urban green spaces in Ethiopian cities}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.envc.2026.101462}},
  doi          = {{10.1016/j.envc.2026.101462}},
  volume       = {{23}},
  year         = {{2026}},
}