Spatial and temporal trends of surface urban heat islands in the Andean city of Cuenca, Ecuador
Journal
Heliyon
ISSN
24058440
Date Issued
2026-09
Author(s)
Alvarez, Hermel
Zalakeviciute, Rasa
Mejía C, Danilo
Type
Article
Abstract
This study aims to assess the long-term spatio-temporal dynamics and magnitude of the Surface Urban Heat Island (SUHI) in the intermediate, high-altitude Andean city of Cuenca, Ecuador (∼2560 m a.s.l.). This research addresses a significant gap in urban climatology by analyzing the SUHI evolution over 34 years, utilizing Landsat data from 1989 to 2022. The analysis focused on the correlation between Landsat-derived Land Surface Temperature (LST) and key biophysical indices: the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and the Normalized Difference Built-up Index (NDBI), which serve as proxies for characterizing surface cooling and warming mechanisms, respectively. The results confirm a strong and intensifying SUHI effect in Cuenca, characterized by a net increase of 1.28 °C in SUHI Intensity (SUHII) over the study period, rising from 4.47 °C (1989) to 5.75 °C (2022). Urban areas consistently exhibited mean temperatures 4.47–5.75 °C higher than surrounding unurbanized regions. The mechanisms driving this thermal anomaly are confirmed by strong correlations: LST exhibits a negative correlation with NDVI (R2 = 0.22 to 0.59), suggesting that vegetative cover provides evaporative cooling, while the strong positive correlation with NDBI (R2 = 0.47 to 0.59) indicates that the increase in impervious, thermally massive surfaces contributes significantly to SUHI intensification. These findings provide specific evidence for the magnitude and long-term trend of surface warming within a high-altitude Andean environment, underscoring the necessity of adopting climate-responsive urban planning measures centered on green infrastructure and surface material selection to mitigate the escalating SUHI effect in this context. Copyright © 2026. Published by Elsevier Ltd.