Rapid urbanization and climate change have increasingly intensified the Urban Heat Island (UHI) effect, particularly in Arctic regions where the phenomenon is exacerbated by Arctic amplification. This study focuses on Tromsø, Norway, to analyse land use and land cover (LULC) changes and their impact on the Surface Urban Heat Island (SUHI) effect over a 37-year period from 1986 to 2023. Utilizing remote sensing data from thermal infrared satellite sensors, including Landsat, we processed Land Surface Temperature (LST) data to quantify the UHI/SUHI effect and assess its spatial and temporal variability. LULC changes were detected using supervised classification with the Random Forest algorithm, revealing significant urban expansion at the expense of natural landscapes, particularly water areas and sparse vegetation. The analysis indicates a clear upward trend in the maximum SUHI intensity, correlating with increased urbanization, while mean and minimum SUHI values showed less pronounced changes. These findings underscore the complex interplay between urbanization and local climate dynamics in Arctic environments, emphasizing the need for sustainable urban planning and climate adaptation strategies. The study highlights the efficacy of remote sensing as a tool for monitoring environmental changes and informs future research and policymaking aimed at mitigating the adverse impacts of urbanization in sensitive Arctic regions.
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