Version 1
: Received: 29 August 2018 / Approved: 4 September 2018 / Online: 4 September 2018 (06:28:33 CEST)
How to cite:
Mensah, C.; Atayi, J.; T. Kabo-bah, A.; Švik, M.; Acheampong, D. Assessing the Impacts of Urbinization on the Climate of Kumasi. Preprints2018, 2018090059. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints201809.0059.v1
Mensah, C.; Atayi, J.; T. Kabo-bah, A.; Švik, M.; Acheampong, D. Assessing the Impacts of Urbinization on the Climate of Kumasi. Preprints 2018, 2018090059. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints201809.0059.v1
Mensah, C.; Atayi, J.; T. Kabo-bah, A.; Švik, M.; Acheampong, D. Assessing the Impacts of Urbinization on the Climate of Kumasi. Preprints2018, 2018090059. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints201809.0059.v1
APA Style
Mensah, C., Atayi, J., T. Kabo-bah, A., Švik, M., & Acheampong, D. (2018). Assessing the Impacts of Urbinization on the Climate of Kumasi. Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints201809.0059.v1
Chicago/Turabian Style
Mensah, C., Marian Švik and Daniel Acheampong. 2018 "Assessing the Impacts of Urbinization on the Climate of Kumasi" Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints201809.0059.v1
Abstract
The key anthropogenic effects on climate include the changes in land use and emission of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. Depletion of vegetation poses serious threat that speeds the process of climate change and reduces carbon sequestration by the environment. Thus, the preservation of natural environment in urban areas is an essential component of the garden city model, proposed by Sir Ebenezer Howard in 1898, to ensure ecological balance. Recent Landsat images showed that Kumasi does not have the required percentage of green vegetation as was stipulated in the garden city model on which the city was built. It was observed that most parts of Kumasi's green vegetation have been lost to built environments. This study was conducted to assess the impact of urbanization on the garden city status and its effect on the micro-climate of the city. Significant changes in the vegetation cover of the city was evaluated from Landsat-TM imagery and analysis of a long term climatic data of Kumasi carried out over a 55-year period (1960 to 2015). It was observed that, climatic conditions have slightly changed, as mean surface temperature of has increased by 1.2 °C/ 55 years, due to the significant landuse changes from development of non-transpiring, reduced evaporative urban surfaces. However, the impact is not greatly felt due to the geographical location of the city on the globe despite the evidence of a considerable temperature change. Green vegetation conservation for the city is recommended as a top priority in future for city authorities and planners.
Keywords
landuse change; climate change; garden city model; green vegetation; Landsat; urban heat island
Subject
Physical Sciences, Biophysics
Copyright:
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
