Effects Of Land Use And Land Cover Change Research Articles

Changes in evapotranspiration, transpiration and evaporation across natural and managed landscapes in the Amazon, Cerrado and Pantanal biomes

Land-use and land-cover change (LULCC) can dramatically affect the magnitude, seasonality and main drivers of evaporation (E) and transpiration (T), together as evapotranspiration (ET), with effects on overall ecosystem function, as well as both the hydrological cycle and climate system at multiple scales. Our understanding of tropical ecosystem responses to LULCC and global change processes is still limited, mainly due to a lack of ground-based observations that cover a variety of ecosystems, land-uses and land-covers. In this study, we used a network of nine eddy covariance flux towers installed in natural (forest, savanna, wetland) and managed systems (rainfed and irrigated cropland, pastureland) to explore how LULCC affects ET and its components in the Amazon, Cerrado and Pantanal biomes. At each site, tower-based ET measurements were partitioned into T and E to investigate how these fluxes varied between different land-uses and seasons. We found that ET, T and E decreased significantly during the dry season, except in Amazon forest ecosystems where T rates were maintained throughout the year. In contrast to Amazon forests, Cerrado and Pantanal ecosystems showed stronger stomatal control during the dry season. Cropland and pasture sites had lower ET and T compared to native vegetation in all biomes, but E was greater in Pantanal pasture when compared to Pantanal forest. The T fraction of ET was correlated with LAI and EVI, but relationships were weaker in Amazon forests. Our results highlight the importance of understanding the effects of LULCC on water fluxes in tropical ecosystems, and the implications for climate change mitigation policies and land management.

Integrated effects of land use and land cover change on carbon metabolism: Based on ecological network analysis

Faced with increasingly severe climate change, assessing integrated effects of Land use and land cover (LULC) changes on carbon metabolism contributes to the understanding of the mechanism of LULC‑carbon interactions and is crucial to enhance the benefits of anthropogenic emission reductions, increasing regional carbon sinks and formulating future mitigation policies. In this paper, we have developed a hybrid analytical framework that couples natural and socioeconomic systems, and used socioeconomic data, high-resolution remote sensing data, and empirical coefficients to analyze spatiotemporal dynamics of carbon metabolism and applied ecological network analysis (ENA) to evaluate integrated effects of LULC changes upon carbon metabolism. We used Gansu Province, an economically underdeveloped region, as an example for case analysis and policy recommendations. The results showed that: (1) the total carbon emissions in Gansu increased 3.18 times between 1995 and 2020, with transportation and industrial land being the major contributors. The carbon balance status was increasingly severe, and the amount of carbon sequestration to offset carbon emissions decreased from 22.45% in 1995 to 7.11% in 2020. (2) ENA revealed that competition relations between land use types fluctuated up and dominated in 2020, with the mean value of mutualism index was 0.72, which suggested that that integrated effects of LULC changes on whole regional carbon metabolism was negative. Compared to developed regions, the ecological relationships between different land use types in Gansu were more competitive. (3) To address these issues, we have proposed comprehensive policies in terms of adjusting industrial structure, reducing fossil energy use, saving land for construction, and developing carbon sink industries. The study explored the intricate interactions between LULC changes, carbon transition, and regional carbon metabolism in underdeveloped region, and its framework and findings provide insights and recommendations for spatial planning and carbon management in Gansu Province and other regions that may have comparable challenges.

Land use and land cover changes and their impact on ecosystem service values in the north-eastern highlands of Ethiopia.

The land use and land cover (LULC) changes driven by the growing demands of mankind have a considerable effect on ecosystem services and functions. The study was carried out in the north-eastern highlands of Ethiopia to (1) analyze the effect of LULC changes between 1984 and 2021 and (2) assess the spatiotemporal variations in ecosystem service values (ESVs) and elasticity in response to LULC changes. Using Landsat imageries from 1984 to 2021, the spatiotemporal changes in LULC were evaluated with supervised image classification using maximum likelihood algorithm in ArcGIS software. Six LULC types were subsequently categorized, with overall accuracy and Kappa coefficients above 87% and 0.87, respectively. The ESVs were then estimated based on the Benefit Value Transfer (BVT) approach employing modified conservative value coefficients. The findings revealed a significant increase in cultivated land (9759.1ha) and built-up area (10174.41ha) during the stipulated periods and a drop in other land use types. The forest loss gradually decreased from 4.1% in the second period (1991-2001) to 0.58% in the third (2001-2021), compared to the first of the 1.1% conversion rates. Similarly, the proportion of grassland and water bodies steadily reduced over the stipulated periods, by 1.15% and 2.3% per annum, respectively. The overall loss of ESVs in the study landscape was estimated to be 54.4 million US$ (67.3%), drastically decreasing from 80.3 million US$ in 1984 to 26.4 million US$ in 2021, driven by the declining area coverage of water bodies, grassland, and forestland. Regardless of the loss, the ecosystem functions of hydrological regulation (37.2, 35.0, 6.1, and 5.1 US$ ha-1yr-1), water supply (14.5, 13.6, 2.4, and 2 US$ ha-1yr-1), and food production (9.8, 10.0, 9.1, and 9.9 US$ ha-1yr-1) contributed the most to the total ESV of each year while disturbance regulation and cultural values were the least throughout the study periods. The coefficient of sensitivity (CS) analysis revealed that our estimates were relatively robust. The findings further showed that human-dominated land-uses at the expense of natural ecosystems are the primary drivers of LULC transitions and the ensuing loss of ecosystem services in the region. Thus, this calls for intensive work on more effective land use policies that encourage an integrated management approach, with a focus on safeguarding the sustainability of natural ecosystems.

Zonal patterns and driving factors of soil organic carbon density in Zhejiang Province, China

The complex topography and intensive land use and land cover change (LUCC) might shift the spatial pattern of soil organic carbon (SOC) density. However, the effects of LUCC caused by development on the distribution and driving factors of SOC density remain unclear. As one of the most developed regions in China, Zhejiang Province has experienced intensive land use change and has various vegetation types, making it an ideal location to analyse the zonal pattern and driving factors of SOC density in terrestrial ecosystems. To do that, a dataset was built with data collected from existing literature. The average SOC density in Zhejiang Province was 69.75 Mg ha−1, ranging widely from 6.44 to 301.90 Mg ha−1 depending on land and vegetation types. We found that forests had the highest mean SOC density (78.30 Mg ha−1), while cropland had the lowest (45.69 Mg ha−1). Meanwhile, the SOC density of unmanaged land was significantly higher than that of managed land (P < 0.001). Additionally, SOC density varied greatly with longitude and altitude, showing a decreasing zonal pattern from west to east and from high to low altitude. The RF model indicated that vegetation type, stand age, mean annual temperature (MAT), soil pH, and mean annual precipitation (MAP) were the five most important factors affecting SOC density in this area, but the effects differed between managed and unmanaged lands. These results aid with understanding the dynamics of SOC pools in terrestrial ecosystems and inform policy-making to mitigate global climate change. These findings provide valuable insights into the dynamics of SOC pools in terrestrial ecosystems, enabling more effective policymaking to mitigate the impact of global climate change.

Uncertainty in land use obscures global soil organic carbon stock estimates

The impact of land use and land cover change (LULCC) on soil organic carbon (SOC) stock is one of the most uncertain items in estimating the global C budget. Despite the improvements in satellite monitoring techniques and inventory data in recent decades, the uncertainty in modeled LULCC-induced SOC changes stemming from the choice of land use datasets remains largely unknown. Using a process-based model, the Dynamic Land Ecosystem Model (DLEM), we investigated global SOC changes during 1900–2018 driven by six LULCC datasets (i.e., LUH2-GCB2019, ESA CCI-LC, MODIS, GLASS-GLC, HH, and RF), which were generated by varied data sources and methodologies. The simulated global SOC stock was negatively affected by land conversions in all the LULCC datasets; however, the corresponding SOC loss was highly different ranging from 33.11 Pg C to 106.20 Pg C. Such significant differences in the global SOC stock estimates due to LULCC uncertainty were mainly located in boreal and temperate forests of the northern high latitudes and were most likely attributed to the LULCC-induced changes in vegetation net primary production. Meanwhile, regions exhibiting large divergence in relative changes of LULCC-induced SOC loss were mainly located in the low latitudes. When considering the interactive effects of LULCC with other environmental factors, the simulated SOC showed divergent trends, increasing in MODIS-, ESA CCI-LC-, and GLASS-GLC-based estimations, but decreasing in LUH2-GCB2019-, HH-, and RF-based estimations. These results highlight the importance of the accuracy of LULCC data in determining the global carbon budget. Future efforts are required for harmonizing satellite observations and inventory data both spatially and temporally to better represent the land conversion processes in terrestrial ecosystem modeling.

Climate feedbacks associated with land-use and land-cover change on hydrological extremes over the Yangtze River Delta Region, China

Quantifying how land-use and land-cover change (LULCC) drives extreme events is a priority to inform adaptation planning in a changing environment. Previous studies mainly focus on the effects of local LULCC on runoff generation processes; however, few on the effects of the climate feedbacks of LULCC. Here we couple the Variable Infiltration Capacity model with climate forcing from the Land Use Model Intercomparison Project, part of the new state-of-the-art Coupled Model Intercomparison Project phase 6, to synthetically detect global LULCC-induced impacts on hydrological extremes in one of the fastest developing areas in China and the world, i.e., the Yangtze River Delta (YRD). Results suggest that global LULCC increased extreme rainfall by 1.41 ∼ 3.90 % with spatial heterogeneity over YRD, especially during the rapid urbanization period. Regions with increasing extreme rainfall during the rapid urbanization stage match well with the city belt distribution, indicating the precipitation enhancement effects of the urban land surface. The combined impacts (with both LULCC and its climate feedbacks) lead to a 3.01–7.18 % increase in extreme runoff, much higher than the effects of LULCC only (0.05–0.14 %). The consistent signs of changes in extreme rainfall and runoff indicate the dominant role of LULCC-induced climate feedback in the changes in extreme runoff over the YRD region. In addition, flash droughts increased when considering the climate feedbacks of global LULCC, particularly during the rapid urbanization stage. LULCC tends to increase average flows, high flows, and low flows, particularly in an urban-dominated basin. When considering the climate feedback effects from global LULCC, the LULCC would lead to a larger increase in high flows and average flows, thus floods. We highlight a need to consider land–atmosphere interactions in addition to land-surface processes in projecting changes in hydrological extremes.

Assessing Impacts of Land Use and Land Cover (LULC) Change on Stream Flow and Runoff in Rur Basin, Germany

Understanding the impact of land use/land cover (LULC) change on hydrology is the key to sustainable water resource management. In this study, we used the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) to evaluate the impact of LULC change on the runoff in the Rur basin, Germany. The SWAT model was calibrated against the observed data of stream flow and runoff at three sites (Stah, Linnich, and Monschau) between 2000 and 2010 and validated between 2011 and 2015. The performance of the hydrological model was assessed by using statistical parameters such as the coefficient of determination (R2), p-value, r-value, and percentage bias (PBAIS). Our analysis reveals that the average R2 values for model calibration and validation were 0.68 and 0.67 (n = 3), respectively. The impacts of three change scenarios on stream runoff were assessed by replacing the partial forest with urban settlements, agricultural land, and grasslands compared to the 2006 LULC map. The SWAT model captured, overall, the spatio-temporal patterns and effects of LULC change on the stream runoffs despite the heterogeneous runoff responses related to the variable impacts of the different LULC. The results show that LULC change from deciduous forest to urban settlements, agricultural land, or grasslands increased the overall basin runoff by 43%, 14%, and 4%, respectively.

Land use changes impact on selected chemical denudation element and components of water cycle in small mountain catchment using SWAT model

Land use changes are extremely important in the context of land and water management. This study examines impact of land use and land cover (LULC) changes on nitrate nitrogen, outflow and surface runoff in the agriculture catchment in the Polish Carpathians using the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT). The study covers 25-year (1995–2019) and was divided into three periods relating to different LULC patterns (1995–2004, 2005–2012, 2013–2019). The LULC maps used were based on aerial photos from 1997, 2009, and 2016. The SWAT was calibrated and applied to periods with variable LULC (in simulation 1) and by keeping the LULC constant during the period 1995–2019 (simulation 2; the LULC from 1997) to determine the impact of LULC changes on the analysed variables. The ongoing LULC changes were found to have resulted in a reduction of cultivated land area (by 72 %) and an increase of grassland (by 45 %), forest (by 2 %) and urbanised areas (by 17 %). The SWAT model achieved reasonable accuracy. The model results tend to overestimate the load of nitrate nitrogen and underestimate outflow and surface runoff. The LULC changes resulted in a decrease in outflow between 1995 and 2004 of 24 % in comparison to 2013–2019, and a decrease in surface runoff of 12 %. At the same time, there was a significant decrease in nitrate nitrogen load of 68 % (from 13.0 kg ha−1 in 1995–2004 to 4.2 kg ha−1 in 2013–2019). If the LULC of 2013–2019 was restored to 1997 conditions (as in simulation 2), the outflow and load of NO3-N would be higher by 16 % (12 % in simulation 1) and 67 % (55 % in simulation 1) in relation to the observed values. The impact of LULC on the analysed parameters was spatially differentiated between subbasins depending on the scale of the land use changes. The research conducted here indicates that planning and managing the effects of LULC changes is of key importance for sustainable development in terms of the quantity and quality of water.

Assessing the Impact of Land Use and Land Cover Changes on Aflaj Systems over a 36-Year Period

The aflaj systems represent unique irrigation technologies that have been implemented in the Sultanate of Oman. This innovative system, referred to as “falaj” in the singular form, is composed of a sophisticated network of underground tunnels and open-air channels designed to access shallow subterranean water tables, thereby providing water for residential and agricultural use. The aflaj systems have played a significant role in supporting sustainable water resource management in arid and semiarid regions, making a notable contribution to the socioeconomic development of the country. The alteration of land use and land cover (LULC) in arid and semiarid regions can have significant consequences for hydrological systems, affecting the ability of local ecosystems to manage fresh surface and groundwater resources. These changes are often caused by both natural and anthropogenic factors. To investigate the impact of LULC changes on aflaj systems in the northern part of Oman, we utilized satellite imagery, aflaj data, and spatial analytical and image processing techniques within the framework of geographic information systems (GIS) and remote sensing. In the first part of the study, we quantified the changes in LULC and their impact on aflaj systems in seven cities in Oman due to urban expansion. In the second part, we evaluated the effect of LULC on groundwater for four major aflaj between 1985 and 2021. The study area was divided into four primary LULC classifications: vegetation, bodies of water, metropolitan areas, and bare soil. The classification maps demonstrated a high overall accuracy of 90% to 95%, indicating satisfactory performance. Our results revealed a significant reduction in vegetation areas between 1985 and 2021, primarily shifting from bare soil (BS) to urban areas (UAs) and from vegetation cover (VC) to BS, due to the reduction of groundwater resources. Over the four study periods (1985–1990, 1990–2000, 2000–2013, and 2013–2021), the percentages of the total area of Falaj Al-Muyasser, Falaj Daris, Falaj Al-Maliki, and Falaj Al-Khatmeen that transformed from agricultural lands to UAs were 40%, 39%, 32%, and 8%, respectively. Our study highlights the need for appropriate land management and planning to ensure the most effective solutions are utilized to meet social and economic sustainability requirements. In conclusion, our study presents a comprehensive analysis of LULC changes and their impact on aflaj systems over a 36-year period, providing new insights into the potential effects of LULC changes on groundwater resources and offering a basis for informed decision making on land management in arid and semiarid areas.

How do land use and land cover changes after farmland abandonment affect soil properties and soil nutrients in Mediterranean mountain agroecosystems?

Mediterranean mountains are sensitive agroecosystems that have suffered intense land use and land cover changes (LULCC) during the last century. From the middle of the twentieth century, most of the cultivated lands in Mediterranean mountains were abandoned, allowing the recovery of vegetation (through natural revegetation and afforestation programmes). To examine the effects of farmland abandonment, secondary succession (natural revegetation) and afforestation, an intensive soil sampling was carried out in the Araguás catchment (Central Spanish Pyrenees) including sparsely vegetated areas (badlands), grasslands, shrublands and afforested sites. LULCC were mapped, and soil physico-chemical properties were analysed in reference sites (unaltered areas during the last centuries) and in the different land uses. Likewise, the soil organic carbon (SOC) content in the bulk soils and in the fractions separated by density fractionation have been studied. This study evidenced that farmland abandonment led to a mosaic landscape with different land use and land covers. Results show that LULCC significantly affect soil physico-chemical properties (soil texture, stoniness, pH, SOC, total carbon, CorgN ratio, bulk density and field capacity). Significant differences were observed between secondary and afforested sites following farmland abandonment. Afforestation triggered higher SOC than shrubland sites (natural revegetation) (1.4 and 1.1% respectively), suggesting a slower process of organic matter accumulation after farmland abandonment in the natural revegetation compared to afforestation. The significant role of grassland sites for enhancing the accumulation of SOC has been also confirmed. The results showed also significant differences in the relative contribution of each organic fraction to the bulk SOC: the amount of labile fraction (free and occluded labile fractions) is significantly higher in afforested and shrubland sites (58.1 and 51.2% respectively) than in grassland sites (36.8%). Understanding the effects of LULCC on soil properties and SOC dynamics is essential when planning post-land management practices after farmland abandonment.

Changes in suitable habitat for the critically endangered Northern white-cheeked gibbon (Nomascus leucogenys) in the Western Nghe An Biosphere Reserve, Vietnam: Implication for conservation

Several recent studies have highlighted that change in land use and land cover (LULC) is the main threat causing the decline and extinction of certain species. Gibbons (Hylobatidae) could be excellent examples, on account of their potential for extinction in the near future under the effects of LULC changes due to their particular ecological traits. This study aims to model the current suitable habitat of the Northern white-cheeked gibbon (Nomascus leucogenys (Ogilby, 1840)) in the Western Nghe An Biosphere Reserve (BR), Vietnam and assess the changes in its suitable habitat following the changes in LULC from 1990 to 2020. The maximum entropy approach (MaxEnt) was used to predict the suitable habitat of the gibbon using its occurrence localities and environmental predictors. The model analysis showed that the “Distance to Agriculture” variable had the strongest impact on the gibbons’ suitable habitat. Our results predicted the present suitable habitat of the gibbon species at approximately 4,022.42 km2 (30.95% of the overall BR area) in three spatially separated areas inside the Western Nghe An BR. Furthermore, the suitable habitat areas of the gibbon in 1990, 2000, and 2010 were projected at roughly 4,347.68 km2, 4,324.97 km2, and 2,750.21 km2, respectively, following a decreasing trend from 1990 to 2010, but a gradual increase between 2010 and 2020. The suitable habitat of the gibbon inside three core protected areas (Pu Mat National Park, Pu Huong, and Pu Hoat Nature Reserves) showed a continually increasing trend from 1990 to 2020. Our results highlighted the influence of LULC changes and the role of the protected area network in gibbon conservation. The information from the study provides a quantitative baseline for the future conservation of the critically endangered gibbon in the Western Nghe An BR.

Impacts of land use and land cover change on ecosystem service values in the Afroalpine area of Guna Mountain, Northwest Ethiopia

Ecosystem service changes caused by land use and land cover change (LULCC) is an important indictor and early warning of ecological changes. However, few attempts have been made to evaluate the effects of LULCC on ecosystem services in the Afroalpine highlands of Northwestern Ethiopia. Therefore, this study aimed to analyze the impacts of LULCC on ecosystem services values in the afro-alpine area of Guna Mountain, Northwestern Ethiopia. Image classification was carried out using Landsat imageries of 1995, 2008, and 2020 following Random Forest algorithm with Google Earth Engine(GEE) based on filtered sample points. A modified benefit transfer method was used to evaluate ecosystem service value (ESV) changes in response to LULCC. The results revealed that the most notable feature of LULCC in the afro-alpine area of Guna Mountain was the expansion of cropland and built-up areas at the expense of grassland, forest, and shrubland. The overall ESV of the study site was estimated at USD 46.97 × 106 in 1995, USD 36.77 × 106 in 2008, and USD 37.19 × 106 in 2020. The net ESVs of the study site declined by USD 9.78 × 106 between 1995 and 2020. The regulating service values accounted for the greatest share, accounting for over 42% in all periods, followed by provisioning and supporting service values, which accounted for over 29% and 13%, respectively, while cultural services accounted for the smallest amount of the total ESV. The ecosystem service value of food production experienced the highest increase. However, the values of the remaining 16 types of ecosystem services declined with varying degrees of reduction over the study periods. The results of this study is necessary for land-use planners and decision-makers who require site-specific information on impacts of LULCC on ecosystem service.

Global effects of different types of land use and land cover changes on near-surface air temperature

Understanding the climate effect of land use and land cover change (LULCC) is critical for guiding human activities towards environmental sustainability. Previous studies have reported the climate effects of global deforestation, vegetation greening and crop cultivation changes. However, the contribution of each type of land state, land transition and land management to LULCC's climate effects remain underexamined. In this study, we estimated global biophysical temperature effects of LULCC using CMIP6 climate models, with special attention on the relative contribution (RC) of 12 land state changes, 113 land transitions and 10 land managements. The results show a large difference in the simulated LULCC's temperature effect between CESM2 and UKESM1–0-LL, and the two models even disagree in the sign of LULCC's effects in most of northern hemisphere except for autumn. Based on the weighted mean of two models, we found that historical LULCC has exerted a global warming effect at a rate of 0.0025 °C/century, with the largest warming effect in autumn. Spatially, a significant (p < 0.05) cooling effect is found from 60°N to 40°N, while the warming trend dominates the areas from 40°N to 30°S. Based on regression modelling, historical changes in forested/non-forested secondary land, urban land and cropland have contributed over 70% to LULCC's temperature effect, with land transitions from secondary land to cropland and from cropland to urban land dominating the climate effect at global scale. For land management, the climate effect of irrigation is larger than that of nitrogen fertilizer application. Furthermore, the application of nitrogen fertilizer for C3 plant has larger impacts compared to C4 plants, while similar effects of irrigation are observed for different types of croplands. Besides, the large difference in temperature effect between CESM2 and UKESM1–0-LL may be the difference in the forestland and cropland changes. Our study calls for explicit examination of the climate effect induced by different types of land state-change, land transition and land management for developing targeted land use policies in the future.

Assessing protected area networks in the conservation of elephants (Elephas Maximus) in Sri Lanka

• Time series remote sensing data allow for the identification of changes that have happened in protected regions • There is a close relationship between protected area performance and land use and land cover change • There is a correlation between fragmentation of protected areas and the incidence of human-elephant conflicts Assessing protected area networks in the conservation of elephants ( Elephas Maximus ) in Sri LankaProtected areas play a crucial role in the conservation and management of wildlife, but land use and land cover change (LULCC) threatens the status of protected areas. Sri Lanka has a history of severe human–elephant conflict (HEC). In the last 15 years, Sri Lanka has recorded the highest mortality of elephants and the second-highest human casualties among countries where the Asian elephant is native. In this study, we conducted a whole of country analysis of the effect of LULCC on protected areas using a land cover change map (1993–2018) recently developed by the authors using Landsat satellite data. Protected area performances were measured using five criteria including LULCC, the protected areas, and categorised into three performance levels. The protected area performances were then compared with number of HEC incidents. We found that 12% of Sri Lanka's protected area was affected by LULCC events, and every individual protected area experienced LULCC. We also found that 86% of elephant death incidents occurred within a 5 km radius of protected areas, with a strong negative correlation with distance from protected areas (r = –0.94, p < 0.05). Some 43% of HEC incidents and 23% of elephant deaths occurred inside protected areas, while 40% of elephant deaths in the last two years occurred inside protected areas. These areas were also found to fragment over time and elephant deaths increased, and showed a strong positive correlation, with fragmentation (r = 0.88, p < 0.05). Wildlife regions that experienced higher LULCC also experienced a greater number of elephant deaths, with a moderately positive correlation (r = 0.54, p < 0.05). Irrespective of the level of performance, all protected areas reported elephant deaths as well as HEC incidents, indicating that protected areas are failing to protect the endangered Elephas maximus population in Sri Lanka. These country-wide insights into protected areas can be used to re-evaluate the function and effectiveness of protected areas in managing and mitigating HEC while providing protection to elephants in Sri Lanka.

Effects of Land Use and Land Cover Change on Temperature in Summer over the Yellow River Basin, China

As the main driving force of global climate change, land use and land cover change (LUCC) can affect the surface energy balance and the interaction between the surface and atmosphere. This effect will cause further surface temperature changes. The Yellow River Basin is an important ecological security barrier in China. Therefore, exploring the impact of its LUCC on temperature changes can provide certain help for future land-use planning in the Yellow River Basin. Here, we conducted two numerical simulation experiments (Case2015 and Case1995) by using the weather research and forecasting (WRF) model to quantify the effect of LUCC in the Yellow River Basin on the summer 2 m air temperature (T2 m). The results showed that LUCC led to an overall warming trend in T2 m in the Yellow River Basin. Urban expansion caused T2 m to rise by approximately 0.3 °C to 0.6 °C. A warming effect was also identified in the areas where farmland and bare areas were converted to grassland, with T2 m increasing by around 0.4 °C.

Monitoring Changes in Land Use Land Cover and Ecosystem Service Values of Dynamic Saltwater and Freshwater Systems in Coastal Bangladesh by Geospatial Techniques

Assessing and modeling the changes in land use and land cover (LULC) patterns and associated ecosystem service values (ESV) has become an important global agenda for formulating sustainable land management policies. Taking the coastal region of Bangladesh (CRB) as a case study, we utilized remote sensing and GIS techniques to analyze Landsat data of 1999 and 2019 to estimate the effect of LULC changes on the ESVs. The LULC classification, ESV quantification, and spatial variations were performed by semi-automated classification, per-unit value transfer, and spatial autocorrelation techniques, respectively. First, between 1999 and 2019, LULC altered dramatically (agricultural land and coastal wetlands decreased, while all other LULC types increased). Second, the total ESV decreased by 1.87%, which was mostly attributed to a 70% growth in both rural settlement and aquaculture/saltpan, and a 30% decline in both agricultural land and wetlands. Third, significant spatial correlation and moderately high spatial clustering were observed, which consisted mostly of mangrove forests, waterbodies, and wetland zones. Both high-high and low-low values increased, but spatial outliers remained unchanged. Conserving agricultural land should be prioritized in future land use plans of CRB to meet the ever-increasing food demands, control natural land conversion, and make land use sustainable.

Combined effects of multi-land use decisions and climate change on water-related ecosystem services in Northeast China

Land use intensification and climate change have resulted in substantial changes in the provision of ecosystem services, particularly in China that experienced sharp increases in population growth and demands for goods and energy. To protect the environment and restore the degraded ecosystems, the Chinese government has implemented multiple national ecological restoration projects. Yet, the combined effects of climate change and land use and land cover change (LULCC) over large spatial scales that brace multiple land use decisions and great environmental heterogeneity remain unclear. We assessed the combined effects of LULCC and climate change on water-related ecosystem services (water provision and soil conservation services) from 1990s to 2020s in Northeast China using the Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Trade-offs (InVEST) model. We found that water yield decreased by 9.78% and soil retention increased by 30.51% over the past 30 years. LULCC and climate change exerted negative effects on water yield whereas they both enhanced soil retention; LULCC interacted with climate change to have relatively small inhibitory effects on water yield and large facilitation effects on soil retention. Changes in water yield were mainly attributed to climate change, while soil retention was largely influenced by LULCC and its interaction with climate change. Our research highlights the importance of land use decisions and its interactive effects with climate change on ecosystem services in a heavily disturbed temperate region, and provides important information to inform future land management and policy making for sustaining diverse ecosystem services and ensuring human wellbeing.

The impact of land use and land cover change on groundwater recharge in northwestern Bangladesh

Groundwater recharge is affected by various anthropogenic activities, land use and land cover (LULC) change among these. The long-term temporal and seasonal changes in LULC have a substantial influence on groundwater flow dynamics. Therefore, assessment of the impacts of LULC changes on recharge is necessary for the sustainable management of groundwater resources. The objective of this study is to examine the effects of LULC changes on groundwater recharge in the northwestern part of Bangladesh. Spatially distributed monthly groundwater recharge was simulated using a semi-physically based water balance model. Long-term temporal LULC change analysis was conducted using LULC maps from 2006 to 2016, while wet and dry LULC maps were used to examine seasonal changes. The results show that the impervious built-up area has increased by 80.3%, whereas vegetated land cover has decreased by 16.4% over the study period. As a result, groundwater recharge in 2016 has decreased compared to the level seen in 2006. However, the decrease in recharge due to long-term temporal LULC changes is very small at the basin scale (2.6 mm/year), although the impact on regional level is larger (17.1 mm/year) due to urbanization. Seasonal LULC variations also affect recharge due to the higher potential for dry seasonal LULC compared to the wet seasonal LULC, a substantial difference (20.6 mm/year). The results reveal important information about the groundwater system and its response to land cover changes in northwestern Bangladesh.

Effects of land use and land cover change on soil organic carbon storage in the Hexi regions, Northwest China

Soil organic carbon (SOC) storage in arid inland regions is significantly affected by land use and land cover change (LUCC) associated with climate change and agricultural activities. A systematic evaluation to the LUCC effects on SOC storage could enable us to better manage soil carbon pools in arid inland regions. Here, we evaluated the effects of LUCC on SOC storage in the Hexi Regions based on high-resolution SOC and LUCC maps derived from Landsat imagery and digital soil mapping using machine learning algorithm and environmental covariates. The results showed that SOC generally increased from northwest to southeast over the Hexi Regions with an average stock of 7.15 kg C m−2 at a soil depth of 100 cm and a total storage of 2783.05 Tg C. The SOC stock and storage in the Qilian Mountains (mountains) was about 3.90 and 4.55 times higher than that in the Hexi Corridor (plains), respectively. It was estimated that LUCC over the past four decades caused a net increase of 23.41 and 18.19 Tg C in total SOC storage for the Qilian Mountains and Hexi Corridor, respectively. Specifically, the development in grasslands quality as well as the land-use category conversion from the bare land to grassland mainly contributed to the increase in SOC storage of the Qilian Mountains, where the LUCC was mainly driven by climate change. By contrast, the SOC storage change in the Hexi Corridor was mainly associated with the conversion from sandy land and low-cover grassland to cropland as well as sandy land to grassland, being mainly affected by intense cropland expansion and desertification control. Our results highlighted the importance of climate change and cropland expansion in enhancing SOC storage of the Qilian Mountains and Hexi corridor, respectively.

Application of “Observation Minus Reanalysis” Method towards LULC Change Impact over Southern India

This study performed a land use and land cover (LULC) change analysis over Southern India for the period 1981–2006 from the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) images of AVHRR data and applied the “observation minus reanalysis” (OMR) method to investigate the impact of the LULC change on the temperature of the region. The LULC change analysis indicated that the areas under agriculture/fallow land were significantly increased while the areas under shrubs/small vegetation were decreased during the period 1981–2006. The areas under forest cover and barren land were also decreased but relatively low compared to the other LULC types. The OMR results showed that the LULC changes over urban areas contributed to warming with a temperature of 0.02 °C during this period, while that over non-urban areas showed a cooling effect with a temperature reduction of 0.29 °C and that over the whole Southern India (looked at an average) indicated a cooling effect with a temperature reduction of 0.063 °C. The comparative analysis between the two (LULC change analysis and OMR) results showed that the cooling over Southern India was mostly due to the expansion of agriculture/fallow land and the decline of shrubs/small vegetation. The study suggests that the OMR method reasonably demonstrates the effect of LULC changes on the temperature over Southern India.