Time series trends of land surface temperatures in Egypt: a signal for global warming

The present study reports serious climate changes occurred in Egypt by detecting variability of land surface temperature (LST) over the last decade at selected locations, with varied geomorphological characteristics and human stressors. Time series of LSTs were retrieved from satellite images acquired between 2003 and 2014, with a total of 276 images. Trend analysis suggests a temporal increase in LST over Egypt on the order of 0.3–1.06 °C/decade. Spatially, changes are more pronounced over southern areas of Egypt. Also, in some over-populated regions, LST increased by 1.54 °C/decade for the same study period. Latitude, geology, topography and surface albedo are the most controlling factors for LST variations. This study concludes that climate change is real and conceivable in Egypt.