Impact of land use/land cover changes on evapotranspiration and model accuracy using Google Earth engine and classification and regression tree modeling

Abstract

This research uses a Classification and Regression Tree (CART) model with Google Earth Engine (GEE) to assess the winter season’s land cover and change detection mapping impact on the evapotranspiration (crop water requirement) parameters. Winter seasons, crucial for agricultural planning, and irrigation water requirement challenges in accurately mapping land cover and detecting changes due to the dynamic nature of farming practices during this period. In this study, Landsat-8 OLI images have been combined to map Land use and Land cover (LULC) and other change detection mapping in Akola Block, Maharashtra, India, during the 2018–2022 winter season. As an discoverer researcher that found detailed information of LULC classes during last 2018 to 2022 winter seasons, the use of the CART model in combination with a cloud-computing GEE demonstrates to be a practical approach for accurate land cover classification and change detection maps to create a pixel-based winter seasons information of study area. The novelty of this study lies in its innovative use of GEE, a powerful platform for remote sensing and geospatial analysis, to create LULC maps with remarkable accuracy. Achieving a 100% training accuracy across the four years under consideration is an exceptional feat, highlighting the reliability and stability of the methodology. Furthermore, the validation accuracy values, ranging from 89 to 94% for the winter seasons of 2018 to 2022, underscore the robustness of this approach. Such consistently high accuracy in mapping LULC over time is a groundbreaking achievement and offers a new dimension to the field of hydrology. For the hydrological community, the implications of this study are profound. Accurate LULC mapping and change detection provide critical data for modeling and analyzing the effects of land use changes on water resources, watershed management, and water quality. The User, Kappa, and Producer accuracy metrics used in this research highlight the model’s performance and its suitability for hydrological applications. These accurate LULC maps can aid in the development of hydrological models, forecasting, and decision-making processes, ultimately contributing to more effective water resource management and environmental conservation. In summary, this study’s innovative use of GEE, its remarkable accuracy in LULC mapping, and its relevance to the hydrological community demonstrate the potential for advanced remote sensing and geospatial tools to significantly improve our understanding of land use changes and their implications for water resources and environmental management.