Remote sensing of land use-land cover change and climate variability on hydrological processes in Sub-Saharan Africa: key scientific strides and challenges

Abstract

The impact of land use land cover (LULC) change and climate variability on water resources poses as a major threat in semi-arid environments, especially in the sub-Saharan Africa. Countries in sub-Saharan Africa are vulnerable to water scarcity. Hence, there is an urgent need for understanding the various methods for LULC change and climate variability assessment, to aid in water resources management at various scales. Various studies have modelled and assessed the effect of LULC change and climate variability on hydrological responses, using different approaches. In this regard, this paper provides a detailed review on the progress of various remote sensing techniques in modelling and assessing the effect of LULC change and climate variability on hydrological processes. The review also highlights the critical scientific strides and challenges of remotely-sensed applications in LULC change characterization and total evaporation estimation. Specifically, research gaps in the estimation of total evaporation in response to LULC change and climate variability, using remote sensing are also highlighted. The study demonstrated remotelysensed methods used in hydrologic models such as the SCS-CN, WetSpa, JULES and the SWAT model that are used to determine run-off and streamflow. These methods have a component of total evaporation however evapotranspiration (ET) is not the sole focus. The study showed that the application of the remotely sensed SEBS tool has been widely accepted as a viable method to estimate total evaporation. However, it has been observed that there is limited focus on the impact of LULC change and climate variability on total evaporation.

Exploring Urban Flood Policy Trends Using a Socio-Hydrological Approach—Case Studies from Japanese Cities

“…First, it can contribute to a better understanding of the various socioeconomic and environmental elements that conduce to flood risk [25]. For example, SH can be employed to investigate how land use changes, urbanization, and population increase influence the frequency and severity of floods, as well as how these variables interact with natural elements like climatic volatility and extreme weather events [26]. Second, SH may assist in identifying the social and economic consequences of floods, as well as how these consequences are dispersed among various areas and groups [27].…”

Overtime Modelled Climate Variability Effect in Roysambu Sub-County in Nairobi Kenya: A Retrospective Analysis

“…Urban areas are fast experiencing the effect of climatic changes with the accumulation of greenhouse gases (GHGs) owing to the daily economic activities and industrial processes that proliferate the increase of GHGs (Georgescu et al, 2021). In Sub-Saharan Africa, urban areas are experiencing extreme climate indices from intense flooding to urban heat islands (UHI), affecting the human population (Govender et al, 2022). The term "urban heat island" (UHI) refers to the phenomenon in which cities have warmer air and surfaces than their surrounding rural areas.…”

Past and future of land use change in the Middle reaches of the Yellow River Basin in China

“…The purpose of LULC is to more thoroughly understand the continuous variation of LULC in the region, and its essence is to explain the interaction between people and the environment. In some developing countries and Africa, there are few studies on comprehensive evaluation of the driving force analysis and results of land use change [12,13]. Research in recent years has mainly focused on some underdeveloped areas in Asia and Africa, and the results have shown that land cover has decreased due to population growth, economic development, and globalized human activities [14][15][16][17][18][19][20].…”