Investigation of the decadal unplanned urban expansion influenced surface urban heat island study in the Mosul metropolis

Worldwide environmental degradation and climate change are foremost concerning factors where anthropogenic activities and extreme natural disasters affect urban areas. Thermal variation, greenery damage, built-up expansion, and transportation accessibility destroy healthy atmosphere. Maintaining climate change scenarios is dynamic characteristic to protect the earth's biodiversity, else, global climate change is destroying natural barriers to protecting earth's surface. Space-based remote sensing satellite imageries (Landsat TM and OLI/TIRS) were used to explain surface urban heat island (SUHI) effects besides Land use and land cover (LULC) alteration from 1991 to 2021. Six types of LULC classes are identified in Mosul metropolis where built-up lands are expended around 120.82 km² (1991–2021). Agricultural land (29.69km²) and vegetation (5.67km²) are increasing because of anthropogenic activities. Barren land was decreased during study periods due to built-up expansion and vegetation growth. Throughout study periods, temperature increased by 9.82 °C while the annual temperature increased by 0.33 °C in Mosul metropolis (Albu Sayf, Al Jazar, Arubah, and Gogjali). The SUHI is also located in increasing scenarios like 1.95 while annual SUHI increased by 0.065. Iraq is affected by several climatic and anthropogenic activities related to scenarios where built-up lands are gradually bigger in Mosul Metropolis due to population pressure.