Spatio-temporal assessment of land use and land cover dynamics in Urmia lake basin of Iran: A bi-directional approach using optical and radar data on the Google Earth Engine platform

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Sustainable development, a cornerstone in responsible land resource management, occupies a critical role in global efforts to balance economic progress with ecological preservation. This research explores the intricate dynamics of sustainable development and land resource management in the Lake Urmia watershed, northwestern Iran, with a specific focus on Land Use and Land Cover (LULC) alterations. Leveraging cutting-edge methodologies within the Google Earth Engine (GEE) framework, the study employs the Random Forest (RF) model, and multi-sensor satellite data to achieve meticulous LULC classification from the years 2016 to 2020.This strategy incorporates satellite images from Sentinel-1 (S1), Sentinel-2 (S2), coupled with ancillary data, and the implementation of the RF algorithm. It highlighted the intricate synergy between optical and Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data for LULC classification in the Lake Urmia watershed. The Overall Accuracy (OA) values ranging from 88.28 % to 92.00 % affirmed the robustness of the RF model, demonstrating its potential for research objectives. In addition, Dynamic World, a near real-time global dataset, was applied to the study area, provides a convenient view to detect changes from the years 2016 to 2023, while enabling comparison with the widely used RF algorithm in past studies. Notably, this study goes beyond methodological developments to examine the concrete consequences of the observed changes. The decline in water bodies within the Urmia Lake basin and the parallel expansion of cultivated lands underscore the profound impact of human activities, particularly agricultural practices, on the ecological equilibrium. As we navigate the intricate terrain of sustainable development, this research serves as a clarion call for remote sensing approaches to monitor and manage land resources, emphasizing the delicate balance between economic growth and ecological preservation.