Thermal Performance Assessment of Urban Built Environment: Satellite-Based Analysis of Heat Island Effects in Guelma, Algeria

Contemporary global climate change presents significant challenges for urban planning, with unregulated urban expansion identified as a primary driver of Urban Heat Island (UHI) intensification. This phenomenon generates escalating public health and environmental risks, affecting numerous Algerian municipalities experiencing pronounced climatic vulnerabilities. This investigation examines UHI characteristics in Guelma, eastern Algeria, through systematic monitoring and thermal analysis of surface temperatures from 2013 onward. The methodological framework encompasses diurnal and nocturnal UHI mapping alongside a comprehensive analysis of Land Surface Temperature (LST), Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), and Normalized Difference Built-up Index (NDBI) parameters.The research employs dual satellite imagery sources: ASTER data for nocturnal summer thermal stress detection and LANDSAT time-series imagery for spatiotemporal temperature evolution analysis (2013-2023).Results demonstrate elevated urban temperatures relative to periurban zones, with diachronic analysis revealing pronounced thermal increases in developed areas. Correlation analysis indicates strong positive LST-NDBI (R = 77%) relationships and negative (R = -68%) LST-NDVI correlations. A highly significant negative correlation between NDVI and NDBI (R = -90%) confirms vegetation's mitigating role in urban microclimatic regulation within Guelma's urban morphology.