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Abstract

Land Surface Temperature (LST) has become a critical urban climate concern due to rapid urbanization and land cover transformation in Saudi Arabian cities. This study aimed to analyze the spatial and temporal variability of LST in three climatically distinct cities encompassing Riyadh (hot desert), Dhahran (hot humid), and Abha (cold desert) over the summer months (May to September) from 2017 to 2021. LST was retrieved through the RSLab Landsat LST web application. A total of 80 samples per year were compiled for each city using a structured sampling approach, and results were aggregated using the RS-LST Aggregation Framework (RSLAF). The results revealed that Riyadh's LST reached a maximum of 53.0°C in 2021 and a minimum of 0.0°C in 2019, showed sharp thermal contrasts and a widening diurnal temperature range. Dhahran exhibited the highest thermal stress, with maximum LST rising steadily from 54.7°C in 2017 to 60.6°C in 2021, and minimum temperatures increased from 29.2°C to 44.7°C, indicated strong heat retention. In contrast, Abha remained significantly cooler, with maximum LST peaking at 42.2°C in 2020 and falling to 33.0°C in 2021, while minimum temperatures fluctuated between 7.0°C and 20.0°C. These findings signified the need for reflective materials, urban greenery, and climate-adaptive design in urban planning. Scientifically, the study demonstrated a reproducible LST retrieval and aggregation framework for urban climate analysis, while practically, it provided data-driven insights to guide sustainable development and heat mitigation strategies in arid and semi-arid cities.

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