Mapping heatwaves and climate extremes in the geopolitical region of Kurdistan

Heatwaves and extreme surface temperatures are intensifying in many geographical areas of the world due to climate change, posing critical risks to urban populations, ecosystems, and infrastructure. However, the impacts of such extremes in politically fragmented and underrep- resented areas such as Kurdistan are still poorly studied. This thesis addresses this knowledge gap by analyzing the spatial distribution of heatwave events and Land Surface Temperature (LST) anomalies across four cities in the Kurdistan region Erbil, Diyarbakır, Kobani, and Ur- mia—located in Iraq, Turkey, Syria, and Iran, respectively. The study aims to quantify localized heat hazard, identify UHI effects, and examine how land cover types influence thermal patterns under extreme climatic conditions. To achieve this, a multi-source geospatial approach was applied, combining historical climate records from ERA5 and CMIP6, satellite-derived LST from Landsat 8 and 9, and high-resolution land cover data from ESA WorldCover 10 m. QGIS software was used to analyze spatial relationships between surface heat intensity, land use composition, and urban morphology within both municipal boundaries and 20 km peri-urban buffers. The results show that extreme UHI effects occurred in Erbil and Diyarbakr, where dense urban development and low vegetation resulted in LST values exceeding 60 °C of LST. In contrast, Kobani and Urmia revealed thermal hotspots in ecologically degraded or abandoned zones rather than in their urban cores. These findings highlight the role of vegetation loss, land abandonment, and urban form in shaping localized heat vulnerability. By providing a repli- cable methodology for spatial heat risk assessment, this research contributes new insights into climate resilience planning in complex geopolitical contexts. The results emphasize the need for integrated land use strategies and green infrastructure to mitigate the escalating impacts of extreme heat in the Kurdistan region and similar data-scarce environments.