Impact of the urban heat island effect on the climate of the State of Qatar

The rapid urbanisation and expansion of the built environment in large cities are attracting increasing attention among the global scientific community to understand the relationship between urban expansion and heat island effect (UHI). This study investigates the relationship between urban expansion and the UHI effect employing an integrated approach, including topographic analysis and land surface temperature analysis based on remote sensing and ground-based urban temperature analysis over 30 years of data. Results suggest that: 1) long-term UHI intensity trends in Doha city are statistically significant for seasonal and annual night time temperature; 2) based on the remote sensing data analysis significant urban expansion in Doha city was observed over the past 30 years; 3) day and night time temperature in Doha city was comparatively higher than other localities; 4) the spatiotemporal variations in the UHI are consistent with the urban expansion. Improvement in energy efficiency practices, urban green space optimisation, green rooftop and the use of reflective materials will mitigate the UHI effects. These results are suggested to help future urban planning and development, which will help to achieve sustainable development goals.