Landsat surface temperature (LST) can be utilised for assessing global warming, evaluating vegetation adaptability, monitoring glaciers, tracking urban heat temperatures and land cover. This study aimed to accomplish the following objectives: (a) to ascertain land surface temperature for both dry and wet seasons; (b) to evaluate the NDVI for the dry and wet seasons; and (c) to investigate the correlation between NDVI and land surface temperature, as well as the impact of elevated temperatures on vegetation and public health in the Wa Municipal of the Upper West Region of Ghana.
The results of this study showed variations in temperatures in the dry and wet seasons. The annual assessment of these temperatures found that the LST values for the dry season in 2024 were higher than in 2019. The wet seasons in 2024 showed a drop in temperature compared to 2019, indicating an increase in rainfall and cloud cover, preventing the earth's surface from heating up. There was a high vegetation cover during the wet seasons for both 2019 and 2024 as compared to the vegetation cover in the dry season from 2019 to 2024.
The linear regression analyses indicated a negative correlation between Land Surface Temperature (LST) and Normalised Differential Vegetation Index (NDVI) in all seasons indicating that as vegetation cover decreases temperature rises.
To alleviate these impacts, management must concentrate on urban greening, healthcare readiness, climate-resilient agriculture and public awareness.