Spatiotemporal dynamic of environmental indices of watershed sustainability in connection with land-use change

Abstract

Exploring spatial and temporal land-use changes is valuable for local governments to address issues of sustainability and planning policy where urbanization and industrialization are taking place. Besides anthropogenic effects, natural driving forces like climate change may also affect sustainability. However, such relationships have not been studied minutely. Hence, this study first investigates the land-use changes and their relationship with land surface temperature (LST) for the Shazand Watershed, Iran, in 1986, 1998, 2008, and 2016 coincided with supplementary industrialization stages. Furthermore, the relations among LST and other biophysical parameters, including Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Normalized Difference Buildup Index (NDBI), and Normalized Difference Water Index (NDWI), were analyzed, and corresponding variations were explored. The results indicated that the mean LST of the study watershed has an increasing trend from 1986 to 2008 due to land-use change and drought intensification. Later, LST decreased in 2016. Lower LST was associated with irrigation farming and orchard, and higher LST was related to sparse oak forest areas. There was also a negative correlation between LST and NDVI. As a result, it was inferred that greenery declined LST. Conversely, a positive correlation was found between LST and NDBI resulting from the built-up areas. Since LST could influence biological, physical, chemical processes, it can therefore be supported as an effective index for environmental sustainability assessment.

Watershed health and ecological security modeling using anthropogenic, hydrologic, and climatic factors

“…Accordingly, the P index was four low, relatively low, moderate, and relatively high, with a relative coverage of 39.74%, 30.16%, 25.9%, and 4% of the total watershed. Meanwhile, anthropogenic criteria (i.e., 65.6%), hydrologic criteria (i.e., 24.86%), and climatic criteria (i.e., 9.54%) have participated in determining the P index, which was consistent with the related studies of Ding et al (2008), Ebrahimi Gatgash and Sadeghi (2022), Hazbavi et al (2018), Mao et al (2014), Mirchooli et al (2022), andMosaffaie et al (2021) on the role of anthropogenic factors in determining the health of ecosystems. Government-related variables were also listed by Mao et al (2014) as the most crucial elements affecting the health of Lake Ulansuhai in China.…”

“…The maximum and the minimum value of bio‐density were for subwatershed 15 with a value of 3.38 and subwatersheds with no population. Ebrahimi Gatgash and Sadeghi (2022), Mirchooli et al (2022), Mosaffaei et al (2021), and Yasuri et al (2012) reported that increasing biodensity causes pressure on soil and water resources and, in addition to destruction and pollution, leads to migration and other socioeconomic consequences. The high concentration of population in the subwatersheds 13 and 15 caused more pressure to reach needs.…”

“…It allows watershed managers to focus their efforts on priority subwatersheds to efficiently solve existing concerns by correctly classifying useful features and assessing degrees of controllability. According to Mirchooli et al (2022), anthropogenic impacts and natural driving forces such as climate change may affect sustainability. As a result, local governments should investigate the geographical and temporal conditions of determinant elements, such as land-use changes, to address sustainability concerns and create watershed management policies.…”

Spatio-temporal dynamics of land use/cover and land surface temperature in Prayagraj city, India

“…In 2020, the increased value of NDVI indicated expansion in the agricultural areas. According to Mirchooli, 49 NDVI values greater than 0.3 indicates healthy vegetation and increased vegetation cover. MODIS time-series data (Figure 8) also confirm an increase in NDVI and EVI data from 2000 to 2020.…”

“…2 The study indicates that tree cover areas was converted into the built-up area (impervious development) in the Prayagraj landscape, which has significantly disturbed the urban terrestrial radiation balance and upsurged the land surface temperature contributing to climate change on micro to synoptic-scale. 49 Furthermore, spatial analysis shows that the conversion of tree cover and fallow land into built-up areas was most prevalent in the city's South, Southwest, North and Northwest part.…”