Land Cover Transformations Research Articles

Population growth, land use and land cover transformations, and water quality nexus in the Upper Ganga River basin

Abstract. The Upper Ganga River basin is socioeconomically the most important river basin in India and is highly stressed in terms of water resources due to uncontrolled land use and land cover (LULC) activities. This study presents a comprehensive set of analyses to evaluate the population growth, LULC transformations, and water quality nexus for sustainable development in this river basin. The study was conducted at two spatial scales: basin scale and district scale. First, population data were analyzed statistically to study demographic changes, followed by LULC change detection over the period of February–March 2001 to 2012 (Landsat 7 Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+) data) using remote sensing and geographical information system (GIS) techniques. Trends and spatiotemporal variations in monthly water quality parameters, viz. biological oxygen demand (BOD), dissolved oxygen (DO, measured in percentage), fluoride (F), hardness (CaCO3), pH, total coliform bacteria and turbidity, were studied using the Mann–Kendall rank test and an overall index of pollution (OIP) developed specifically for this region, respectively. A relationship was deciphered between LULC classes and OIP using multivariate techniques, viz. Pearson's correlation and multiple linear regression. From the results, it was observed that population has increased in the river basin. Therefore, significant and characteristic LULC changes were observed. The river became polluted in both rural and urban areas. In rural areas, pollution is due to agricultural practices, mainly fertilizers, whereas in urban areas it is mainly contributed from domestic and industrial wastes. Water quality degradation has occurred in the river basin, and consequently the health status of the river has also changed from acceptable to slightly polluted in urban areas. Multiple linear regression models developed for the Upper Ganga River basin could successfully predict status of the water quality, i.e., OIP, using LULC classes.

Interactions between freshwater ecosystem services and land cover changes in southern Bangladesh: A perspective from short-term (seasonal) and long-term (1973–2014) scale

We aimed to assess the long-term (1973–2014) and short-term (pre- and post-monsoon) quantities, values and changes of freshwater ecosystem services (FES) in the wetland areas of Southern Bangladesh using land cover change as a proxy indicator. Bangladesh is a sub-tropical country that receives >80% of its annual rainfall during the monsoon and post-monsoon periods, between the months of June and November. Therefore, it could be hypothesized that the monsoon and post-monsoon rainfalls significantly contribute to altering the local land cover, and consequently change the FES. Our multi-stage methodology, among others, included; (i) participatory FES identification (ii) long-term and seasonal land cover analysis using Remote Sensing and GIS, and (iii) assessing FES quantities and values using an expert-developed FES Matrix. The results identified 14 major FES; seven provisioning, six regulating and one cultural service. The results showed that over the last 40 years, significant land cover transformations occurred in the study area e.g. increase of agricultural land, rural vegetation with settlement (RVS) in exchange of wetlands, along with significant seasonal variations include increase of wetland in the post-monsoon seasons and agricultural land in the pre-monsoon seasons. Such changes contributed to the decrease of total long-term FES quantities and economic values including a significant reduction of regulating and provisioning services. Post-monsoon seasons experienced increased quantities of regulating services (e.g. soil fertility, water purification and biodiversity), mainly as a result of additional rainfall, although its overall quantities considerably decreased over the long-term. The results of the study highlighted the importance of prudent land management policies at rural scales for better ecosystem services and conservation.

Land Cover Transformation at a Global Level During 2001–2012: Mapping and Analysis of Changes

Presented are the results from taking an inventory and analyzing the land cover transformation during 2001–2012. The study revealed 246 types of transitions between land cover classes according to the International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme, including 229 types of changes with a change of land cover classes. The density of changes is highest in the taiga and steppe zones of Eurasia and North America, savannas and woodlands of Africa and South America, the Arctic tundras of North America and Eurasia. It was found that the natural zones with a complex structure of land cover (open woodlands, shrublands and savannas of the tropical belt and hard-leaved summer-dry open woodland and shrublands of the subtropical belt) have the largest number of transition types (17) and types of changes (10 and 8, respectively). The contribution from the particular transformation processes to the structure of land cover changes within the natural zones was calculated to show the principal land cover trajectories for each natural zone. The findings provide a means of assessing the degree and nature of land cover transformation within the natural zones and identifying, on this basis, the leading land use trends which would have a considerable influence on the structure and dynamics of present-day land surface landscapes across the globe.

Finding the magnitude of human-induced Northern Hemisphere land-cover transformation between 6 and 0.2 ka BP

Finding the magnitude of human-induced Northern Hemisphere land-cover transformation between 6 and 0.2 ka BP

When Socio-Economic Plans Exacerbate Vulnerability to Physical Coastal Processes on the South East Coast of India

Industrial and urban development along the coast may exacerbate the changes induced by oceano-climatic processes to such an extent that the coast becomes uninhabitable. This paper presents a baseline study carried out on the 360 km long Coromandel coast of Tamil Nadu's (TN) Bay of Bengal coast, Southeast India. About 30% of the 72 million inhabitants of the state of TN live in low-lying coastal areas within a variety of ecosystems such as sandy beaches and dunes, wetlands, mudflats and mangroves. Exponential demographic growth combines with dense urban agglomerations, ever-growing industrial and harbour areas, aquaculture and luxury tourism expansion increasing vulnerabilities to coastal erosion and extreme meteorological events. We report here how very high spatial resolution satellite (VHSRS) images, freely provided by Google Earth engine or from the public database offered by GIS software, may be used to impartially and significantly survey coastal land cover (LC) transformations at fine scales over a number of years using preliminary visual interpretation. The study also gathered demographic data, historical records on strength and trajectories of the cyclones that have hit the TN coast since 1900, and decadal series of daily ERA-InterimiLCMWF waves and Mercator-Ocean oceanic currents. Our results demonstrate a tangle of environmental and human activities and situations subject to specific coastal hazards, particularly severe during the Northeast monsoon season. The potential risks for coastal ecosystems and local communities are finally discussed.

La transformación histórica de las coberturas naturales impulsa el potencial de invasión de plantas en los Bosques Secos del río Magdalena, Colombia

El Repositorio Institucional de Documentación Científica del Instituto Alexander von Humboldt tiene como propósito recopilar, almacenar, preservar y difundir la producción científica que genera el Instituto como resultado de sus investigaciones y en esa perspectiva busca retornar al país el conocimiento institucional sobre la biodiversidad colombiana.

Assessing Land Use and Land Cover Changes in the Murchison Bay Catchment of Lake Victoria Basin in Uganda

The Murchison Bay catchment in the northern shoreline of Lake Victoria basin is a high valued ecosystem because of the numerous human-related activities it supports in Uganda. The catchment has undergone tremendous human-induced land use/cover changes, which have not been quantified. This study aimed at quantifying the land use/cover changes as well as the rate at which these changes occurred over the last three decades in the catchment. This was achieved using remote sensing techniques and Geographic Information System (GIS) to analyse and contextualize the changes. To that effect, images of Landsat satellites MSS, TM, ETM+ and OLI were interpreted using supervised image classification technique to determine the land use/land cover changes from 1984 to 2015. The obtained results indicated that the catchment has undergone huge land use and land cover transformations over the last three decades attributable to rapid population growth and urbanization. The prevailing changes in footprint between 1984 and 2015 were expansions of built–up land (20.58% to 49.59%) and open water bodies (not detected in 1984 to 1.74%), and decreases in the following sectors: agricultural lands (from 43.88% to 26.10%), forestland (from 23.78% to 17.49%), and wetlands (from 11.76% to 5.08%). The changes pose a threat to the environment and water quality of the Murchison Bay and consequently increases National Water and Sewerage Corporation water treatment costs. Therefore, there is the need to take critical and practical measures to regulate and police land use, water use rights and conserve the environment especially wetlands.

Urban land transformations and its implication on tree abundance distribution and richness in Kumasi, Ghana

Despite the rapid urban transformation in green space in most cities in Ghana, knowledge on urban tree diversity and the evidence of the consequences of built-up expansion on trees is scanty. This article provides a novel contribution to the current urban trees abundance and richness in Kumasi Metropolitan Area, Ghana. Post classification change detection technique was applied to quantify urban land use land cover (LULC) transformations (urban forest, agricultural, riparian vegetation and built-up) from 2007 to 2017. Species rank abundance distribution and richness were quantified using geometric series and individual-based rarefaction models. A total of 858 individual trees belonging to 76 taxa were recorded across the four LULC classes. Species abundance distributions in three LULC types varied substantially, with the exception of riparian LULC (slope [k] 0.08660.12, v2P 19.42, P0.15). Land use pressure led to a 13.56km2 reduction in forest cover, while built-up and agricultural LULC increased by 31.13 and 1.85km2, respectively. These disturbances did not only affect indigenous tree dominance (41.3%) in favour of exotic species (58.7%) in the agricultural and built-up LULC types but also impacted on tree abundance (n126) and richness (n28) in agricultural land compared to abundance (n280) and richness (n67.86) in forest cover. Despite the contribution of LULC transformation to increase in tree diversity, there is the likelihood of future dominance of exotic species in the Metropolis if urban planners do not institute measures to conserve indigenous species.

Tropical land use land cover mapping in Pará (Brazil) using discriminative Markov random fields and multi-temporal TerraSAR-X data

Remote sensing satellite data offer the unique possibility to map land use land cover transformations by providing spatially explicit information. However, detection of short-term processes and land use patterns of high spatial–temporal variability is a challenging task.We present a novel framework using multi-temporal TerraSAR-X data and machine learning techniques, namely discriminative Markov random fields with spatio-temporal priors, and import vector machines, in order to advance the mapping of land cover characterized by short-term changes. Our study region covers a current deforestation frontier in the Brazilian state Pará with land cover dominated by primary forests, different types of pasture land and secondary vegetation, and land use dominated by short-term processes such as slash-and-burn activities. The data set comprises multi-temporal TerraSAR-X imagery acquired over the course of the 2014 dry season, as well as optical data (RapidEye, Landsat) for reference. Results show that land use land cover is reliably mapped, resulting in spatially adjusted overall accuracies of up to 79% in a five class setting, yet limitations for the differentiation of different pasture types remain.The proposed method is applicable on multi-temporal data sets, and constitutes a feasible approach to map land use land cover in regions that are affected by high-frequent temporal changes.

The environmental envelope of fires in the Colombian Caribbean

Fire is an important disturbance agent for terrestrial ecosystems, particularly in tropical and subtropical regions where its occurrence is controlled by multiple biophysical and anthropogenic variables. We assessed the temporal and spatial patterns of active fire detections (MODIS product MCD14ML) in the Caribbean region of Colombia between 2003 and 2015, using time series, cross-correlation, hot spot and density techniques. We also assessed the environmental envelope of active fires by evaluating the effect of multiple biophysical and anthropogenic variables on fire presence/absence using generalized linear models (GLMs). Results show that fires follow a clear intra-annual cycle, with 86% of fire events taking place during the region's main dry season (December–March). There is also inter-annual variability related to the Tropical North Atlantic (TNA) quasi-decadal climatic oscillation. Active fires exhibit a distinctive spatial pattern, with regional hotspots. The set of variables that best explain fire presence/absence include biophysical (TNA, temperature annual range, dry quarter precipitation), anthropogenic (minimum distance to towns and roads) and composite (NDVI) variables. The extensive and ongoing land cover transformation of this region, from forest to pasture and agriculture, will likely increase the extent of burned areas and future carbon fire emissions to the atmosphere.

Assessing stock and thresholds detection of soil organic carbon and nitrogen along an altitude gradient in an east Africa mountain ecosystem

It is well established altitude driven agro-ecological factors play a key role to influence soil organic carbon (SOC) and total nitrogen (TN) stocks in tropical mountain ecosystems. Land cover transformation is chiefly responsible for soil nutrient stock changes, with the magnitude of stock changes being a crucial concern for most of east African mountain ecosystems. With biophysical heterogeneity defined by localized micro-climates, spatial soil nutrient stocks patterns and their detection thresholds remain poorly understood. This study describes SOC and TN stocks within a research transect in the Taita hills, Southeast Kenya, using three forms of stratification: altitude, soil types and land cover categories. Results show a linear and positive relationship between altitude and either carbon (R2=0.30; P-value<0.05) or nitrogen (R2=0.35; P-value<0.05) stocks, but varied within land cover and altitude gradations. Cambisols had 30% higher average SOC stock relative to Ferrasols and contained about half the stock observed for forest dominated Umbrisols. Average total nitrogen stocks in Cambisols and Ferrasols were comparable (0.4kgm2) in contrast to Umbrisols (0.9kgm2). Altitude and soil temperature explained 63% soil C and 62% total soil in Ferrasols. Altitude, soil temperature and water filled pore space explained >80% SOC and TN variation in Umbrisols. The absolute minimum detectable difference for carbon and nitrogen stocks varied at the low and high altitude categories of the study transect. Biophysical soils, land cover and altitude delineations play a crucial role to determine spatial soil nutrient patterns in east African mountain ecosystems and should be considered in the design of sustainable nutrient management practices.

On the use of mulching to mitigate permafrost thaw due to linear disturbances in sub-arctic peatlands

The presence or absence of permafrost strongly influences the hydrology and ecology of northern watersheds. Resource exploration activities are currently having profound effects on hydrological and ecological processes in sub-arctic peatlands. In wetland-dominated zones of discontinuous permafrost, permafrost occurs below tree-covered peat plateaus where the tree-canopy and vadose zone act to insulate and preserve permafrost below. Linear disturbances such as seismic lines result in removal of the canopy, and cause permafrost thaw, which results in increased soil moisture, land subsidence, and deforestation. This contributes to land-cover transformation, habitat and vegetation loss, and changes to basin hydrologic cycles. The resultant permafrost-degraded corridors comprise large portions of the drainage density of sub-arctic basins, and alter the region's water and energy balances. Mulching over disturbances, with the removed tree canopy, has been proposed as a best management practice to help reduce this environmental impact. Here we present climate chamber and numerical modeling results which quantify the effects of mulching and its ability to limit permafrost thaw and alterations to the ground thermal regime. Overall, the thermal buffering ability of the mulch had beneficial effects on slowing thaw, due to its low thermal conductivity, which decouples the subsurface from meteorological forcing and impedes heat conduction. Results indicate that mulching is an effective technique to reduce permafrost thaw and provides a scientific basis to assess the mitigation measure on its ability to slow permafrost degradation. This study will provide guidance as to how northern exploration may be performed in a more environmentally sustainable manner.

Transformation of tundra land cover at the sites of pyrogenic disturbance: studies based on Landsat satellite data.

Transformation of tundra land cover at the sites of pyrogenic disturbance: studies based on Landsat satellite data.

REGIONAL TRENDS OF LAND USE AND LAND COVER TRANSFORMATION IN BRAZIL IN 2001-2012

Regional trends of land use/land cover transformation in Brazil during 2001—2012 were analyzed in the following order: 1) identification of the types of transitions for different land use and land cover categories and aggregated groups of transformation processes based on the Global Land Cover Facility datasets, 2) analysis of national agricultural and forestry statistics to find out the principal socioeconomic drivers, 3) land cover and land use data merging to elaborate comprehensive typology of land use/land cover changes on a regional level. The study evealed 96 types of transitions between land cover categories, aggregated into 10 groups corresponding to driving processes. It was found that the main processes of land cover transformations is related to both natural and anthropogenic origins. Cropping and deforestation are anthropogenic processes, flooding and draining are the principal natural ones. Transformation of cultivated lands and reforestation are combined natural and anthropogenic. The contribution of natural factors is higher in the states of the North (Amazonia) and the Northeast macroregions; in the Center-West and the South anthropogenic factors make larger contribution. We have also detected considerable land use/land cover changes caused by agricultural development in densely populated states of the Southeast and the South. In both macroregions planted area expands due to increase of soybeans and sugar cane production, while area of pastures is shrinking. The trends of transformations of agricultural land use revealed as a result of statistical data analysis, match with transitions of land cover categories belonging to the aggregated group of cropping processes. Transformations of land cover types with predominance of shrub vegetation were the most problematic to interpret because of lack of comparable statistical data on pastures.

Effect of land-use/land-cover change on the future of rainfed agriculture in the Jenin Governorate, Palestine

Land cover has been changed by humans throughout history. At the global level, population growth and socio-economic development have a significant impact on land resources. Recently, scholars added climate change as one of the major factors affecting land-cover transformation. In the West Bank of Palestine, the situation is more complicated, where geopolitical constraints due to the Israeli occupation and lack of control over land resources. In the West Bank, fertile land represents 16%, 87% of the cultivated land is rainfed, 11% is pastureland and 2% is irrigated. This paper focuses on the problems of agricultural land shrinkage by time and tries to reveal the major factors behind this change. The study area is Jenin, a major agricultural area in the West Bank, Palestine. Statistical data, aerial photos and related attribute data were analysed by using GIS software. The study showed that urban growth is the major threat on agricultural lands.

Environmental change in the equatorial Andes: Linking climate, land use, and land cover transformations

Global climate change is implicated in major socio-ecological transformations across a range of locations and geographic scales. Recent research has shown that climate change will be more pronounced in high-elevation mountain sites than in nearby lowland locales with consequences that may be felt much sooner and directly affect millions of people. In this study, we follow a land change science approach based on remote sensing, downscaled climate modeling, and regression analyses to investigate the connections between land use and land cover transformations and climate variation in the Cotopaxi National Park and its buffer zone in Ecuador. Results show an overall reduction of native grasslands between 1987 and 2013 and a significant glacier extent loss on the Cotopaxi volcano between 1976 and 2013. Decadal altitudinal shifts of main land cover types, specifically herbaceous vegetation, denuded soils, glacier, and upper montane evergreen vegetation are finely attuned with decadal changes in temperature. Results confirmed that decadal surface area changes of major land cover types in the region may be weakly associated with decadal changes in precipitation and moisture. If climate change and current land use practices continue to affect both the vertical and horizontal distribution major ecotypes, we could expect an overall restructure of the landscape across the latitudinal, longitudinal, and altitudinal dimensions in the short term. Resource users may need to adapt their land use systems to these new environmental conditions and search for resource management strategies that will enable them to sustain their livelihood practices in the long term.

TRANSFORMACIÓN DE LA SUPERFICIE TERRESTRE POR LA ACTIVIDAD HUMANA Y SU RELACIÓN CON EL CAMBIO CLIMÁTICO

RESUMEN: Las transformaciones de las coberturas de la superficie terrestre se incluyen dentro de los procesos de cambio global, porque tienen la capacidad de afectar el funcionamiento del planeta. Diversas investigaciones se han enfocado en la evaluación de la cobertura y el uso de la superficie, por ser un factor que lleva implícita la señal de algunas de las actividades que desarrolla la sociedad humana; y porque a partir de su correlación con variables climáticas podría dar evidencias de las alteraciones que la acción de la antroposfera ha generado sobre el clima en diferentes escalas. Este documento hace una descripción de los conceptos de cobertura y uso de la superficie, analiza su relación con algunas variables climáticas y, presenta una revisión de los métodos más utilizados para evaluar los impactos del cambio en la cobertura y el uso sobre el clima; destacando tres enfoques principales que se diferencian entre sí por utilizar datos provenientes de estaciones climatológicas, productos de sensores remotos o modelos climáticos.

SPATIOTEMPORAL LAND USE AND LAND COVER CHANGE IN MAJOR RIVER BASINS IN COMPREHENSIVE DEVELOPMENT AREA

Urbanization has significantly transformed spatial configuration of landscape structure which is triggered by population growth and government’s development policy. As a consequence, the changes disturbed the quality of natural environment and ecosystem. Historical experience and prediction of future land use and land cover change is important to understand the spatial characteristics and environmental consequences of development area. Evaluating the spatiotemporal in urban development is essential as an important component improving adaptive management in landscape planning. Thus, the objective of this paper is to discuss the spatiotemporal land use and land cover change in major river basins (Sungai Tebrau, Sungai Skudai, Sungai Pulai and Coastal Zone) in the rapid development region of Iskandar Malaysia. The past experience indicates rapid growth of population and substantial urban development changed the spatial structure of the region and there is tremendous transformation of land use and land cover in the present due to high demand for development. Analytical Hierarchical Process (AHP) and CA-markov chain model were used to analyze the relationship of variables and formulate the future spatial changes. Then landscape index is used to analyze the spatial characteristics of the changes. Remote sensing data and GIS were used to conduct the analysis for the study. Temporal satellite images between 2002 and 2013 were utilized as input data for the past changes and basis for future land use and land cover change projection (2020, 2025 and 2025). The result indicates different character of urban landscape changes in different periods and river basins. Past experience shows the significant change of agricultural and natural land converted into artificial land use especially in Skudai and Tebrau river basins. In addition, there was conversion of water body for development in the past especially along the river banks and coastal area in Johor Bahru city center. This trend will constantly restructure the existing landscape as projection shows the significant impact of future development. This situation could contribute to other possible issues such as microclimate change and increase run-off water, pollution and degradation of ecological values and services. This study provides a platform for decision-makers to interpret the situation of landscape structure change in relation with environmental consequence in the study area. Future development plan should thoroughly consider the character of future spatial development and anticipate the possible effect on the environment in the region.

SPATIOTEMPORAL LAND USE AND LAND COVER CHANGE IN MAJOR RIVER BASINS IN COMPREHENSIVE DEVELOPMENT AREA

Urbanization has significantly transformed spatial configuration of landscape structure which is triggered by population growth and government’s development policy. As a consequence, the changes disturbed the quality of natural environment and ecosystem. Historical experience and prediction of future land use and land cover change is important to understand the spatial characteristics and environmental consequences of development area. Evaluating the spatiotemporal in urban development is essential as an important component improving adaptive management in landscape planning. Thus, the objective of this paper is to discuss the spatiotemporal land use and land cover change in major river basins (Sungai Tebrau, Sungai Skudai, Sungai Pulai and Coastal Zone) in the rapid development region of Iskandar Malaysia. The past experience indicates rapid growth of population and substantial urban development changed the spatial structure of the region and there is tremendous transformation of land use and land cover in the present due to high demand for development. Analytical Hierarchical Process (AHP) and CA-markov chain model were used to analyze the relationship of variables and formulate the future spatial changes. Then landscape index is used to analyze the spatial characteristics of the changes. Remote sensing data and GIS were used to conduct the analysis for the study. Temporal satellite images between 2002 and 2013 were utilized as input data for the past changes and basis for future land use and land cover change projection (2020, 2025 and 2025). The result indicates different character of urban landscape changes in different periods and river basins. Past experience shows the significant change of agricultural and natural land converted into artificial land use especially in Skudai and Tebrau river basins. In addition, there was conversion of water body for development in the past especially along the river banks and coastal area in Johor Bahru city center. This trend will constantly restructure the existing landscape as projection shows the significant impact of future development. This situation could contribute to other possible issues such as microclimate change and increase run-off water, pollution and degradation of ecological values and services. This study provides a platform for decision-makers to interpret the situation of landscape structure change in relation with environmental consequence in the study area. Future development plan should thoroughly consider the character of future spatial development and anticipate the possible effect on the environment in the region.

The Size Distribution, Scaling Properties and Spatial Organization of Urban Clusters: A Global and Regional Percolation Perspective

Human development has far-reaching impacts on the surface of the globe. The transformation of natural land cover occurs in different forms, and urban growth is one of the most eminent transformative processes. We analyze global land cover data and extract cities as defined by maximally connected urban clusters. The analysis of the city size distribution for all cities on the globe confirms Zipf’s law. Moreover, by investigating the percolation properties of the clustering of urban areas we assess the closeness to criticality for various countries. At the critical thresholds, the urban land cover of the countries undergoes a transition from separated clusters to a gigantic component on the country scale. We study the Zipf-exponents as a function of the closeness to percolation and find a systematic dependence, which could be the reason for deviating exponents reported in the literature. Moreover, we investigate the average size of the clusters as a function of the proximity to percolation and find country specific behavior. By relating the standard deviation and the average of cluster sizes—analogous to Taylor’s law—we suggest an alternative way to identify the percolation transition. We calculate spatial correlations of the urban land cover and find long-range correlations. Finally, by relating the areas of cities with population figures we address the global aspect of the allometry of cities, finding an exponent δ ≈ 0.85, i.e., large cities have lower densities.