scholarly journals Transboundary Basins Need More Attention: Anthropogenic Impacts on Land Cover Changes in Aras River Basin, Monitoring and Prediction

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (20) ◽  
pp. 3329
Author(s):  
Sajad Khoshnoodmotlagh ◽  
Jochem Verrelst ◽  
Alireza Daneshi ◽  
Mohsen Mirzaei ◽  
Hossein Azadi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Land Cover ◽  
River Basin ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Anthropogenic Impacts ◽  
Anthropogenic Activities ◽  
Kappa Index ◽  
The Caspian Sea ◽  
The Past ◽  
Agricultural Areas ◽  
Aras River

Changes in land cover (LC) can alter the basin hydrology by affecting the evaporation, infiltration, and surface and subsurface flow processes, and ultimately affect river water quantity and quality. This study aimed to monitor and predict the LC composition of a major, transboundary basin contributing to the Caspian Sea, the Aras River Basin (ARB). To this end, four LC maps of ARB corresponding to the years 1984, 2000, 2010, and 2017 were generated using Landsat satellite imagery from Armenia and the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic. The LC gains and losses, net changes, exchanges, and the spatial trend of changes over 33 years (1984–2017) were investigated. The most important drivers of these changes and the most accurate LC transformation scenarios were identified, and a land change modeler (LCM) was applied to predict the LC change for the years 2027 and 2037. Validation results showed that LCM, with a Kappa index higher than 81%, is appropriate for predicting LC changes in the study area. The LC changes observed in the past indicate significant anthropogenic impacts on the basin, mainly by constructing new reservoir dams and expanding agriculture and urban areas, which are the major water-consuming sectors. Results show that over the past 33 years, agricultural areas have grown by more than 57% from 1984 to 2017 in the study area. Results also indicate that the given similar anthropogenic activities will keep on continuing in the ARB, and agricultural areas will increase by 2% from 2017 to 2027, and by another 1% from 2027 to 2037. Results of this study can support transboundary decision-making processes to analyze potential adverse impacts following past policies with neighboring countries that share the same water resources.

scholarly journals Defining environmental conservation levels considering anthropic activity in the Uberaba River Basin protected area

2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 1
Author(s):  
Allita Rezende dos Santos ◽  
Renato Carneiro Fernandes da Silva ◽  
Leonardo Campos de Assis ◽  
Frederico Fábio Mauad
Keyword(s):  
Land Cover ◽  
River Basin ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Evaluation Method ◽  
Satellite Image ◽  
Sustainable Use ◽  
Environmental Conservation ◽  
Continuous Data ◽  
Kappa Index ◽  
Forest Land Cover

Environmental conservation of river basins in general is essential for water quality and ecological maintenance, especially in spring areas. Despite being characterized as a Conservation Unit (CU) of Sustainable Use (SU), the Uberaba River Basin highlands are highly influenced by anthropic activities. The aim of this study was to determine different levels of conservation required to maintain environmental quality. The Multicriteria evaluation method was used as follows: i) applied fuzzy membership functions to standardization of the continuous data values or reclassified when categorical criteria; (ii) established criteria ranking through the pairwise relative importance comparison approach by the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) method and; (iii) performed Weighted Linear Combination (WLC). The selected criteria were maps of the: land cover obtained by supervised classification of a satellite image, with 94% of Kappa Index of Agreement (KIA); soil types, slope; distances from rivers, roads; railways and urban limits. A main outcome of the criteria evaluated is a map of continuous data values expressing distinct levels of environmental conservation requirements. The highest values that express the need for conservation occurred near the ridgetop, corresponding to forest land cover, high slope and hydromorphic soils. The lowest values were observed in the peri-urban areas, in more stable soil and soil cover with a higher degree of occupation. It is concluded that the resulting map can assist in decision-making regarding proper management of the area, to achieve sustainability in the application of occupation policies.

scholarly journals Analysis of Land Cover Change and Its Implication on the Environment around the Dja Biosphere Reserve, Southeastern Cameroon

2021 ◽  
pp. 20-29
Author(s):  
Njini Loveline Munjeb ◽  
Yerima Bernard Palmer Kfuban ◽  
Marie-Louise Tientcheu Avana ◽  
Julius Tata Nfor ◽  
Enang Kogge Rogers
Keyword(s):  
Land Cover ◽  
Land Cover Change ◽  
Geographical Information Systems ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Anthropogenic Activities ◽  
Biosphere Reserve ◽  
Geographical Information ◽  
Kappa Index ◽  
Dense Forest ◽  
Bare Soils

Land cover change is a growing concern around the world. This is especially true for protected areas which are rapidly degrading owing to pressure from anthropogenic activities. The aim of this study was to analyze land cover change for the periods 1980, 2008 and 2020 and its implication on the environment in and around the Dja Biosphere Reserve in south eastern Cameroon. This was done using remote sensing and geographical information systems techniques to quantify and measure the extent of land cover change in the study area for forty years. Household surveys were equally undertaken through the administration of questionnaires to farmers in villages located within the Dja Biosphere Reserve. Collected data was analyzed through the use of GIS software as well as Microsoft Excel. From the land cover maps, four classes were found: dense forest, cultivated areas, water surface, and buildings and bare soils. The transition matrix between 1980 and 2008 showed that 6477.81 ha of dense forest was lost to cultivated areas and between 2008 and 2020, 722.84 ha of dense forest was lost. Between 1980 and 2008 cultivated areas lost 0.07% and gain 0.72% between 2008 and 2020. Building and bare soils increase by 0.28% between 1980 and 2020. The Kappa index of agreement was 0.91 % between 1980 and 2008 and 0.88% between 2008 and 2020. Slash and burn agriculture (43.3%), hunting (36.3%) and harvesting of tree-based products (20.3%) were identified by farmers as the human activities with the most negative impact on the reserve. Results revealed that, there are still opportunities to safe this vulnerable reserve from the negative effects of land cover change through the practice of agroforestry.

scholarly journals Geospatial assessment of land use and land cover dynamics in the mid-zone of Ghana

2020 ◽  
Vol 62 (4) ◽  
pp. 288-305
Author(s):  
Addo Koranteng ◽  
Isaac Adu-Poku ◽  
Emmanuel Donkor ◽  
Tomasz Zawiła-Niedźwiecki
Keyword(s):  
Remote Sensing ◽  
Land Use ◽  
Land Cover ◽  
Satellite Imagery ◽  
Forest Cover ◽  
Anthropogenic Activities ◽  
Arable Land ◽  
Rapid Urbanization ◽  
The Past ◽  
Open Forest

AbstractLand use and land cover (LULC) terrain in Ghana has undergone profound changes over the past years emanating mainly from anthropogenic activities, which have impacted countrywide and sub-regional environment. This study is a comprehensive analysis via integrated approach of geospatial procedures such as Remote Sensing (RS) and Geographic Information System (GIS) of past, present and future LULC from satellite imagery covering Ghana’s Ashanti regional capital (Kumasi) and surrounding districts. Multi-temporal satellite imagery data sets of four different years, 1990 (Landsat TM), 2000 (Landsat ETM+), 2010 (Alos and Disaster Monitoring Constellation-DMC) and 2020 (SENTINEL), spanning over a 30-year period were mapped. Five major LULC categories – Closed Forest, Open Forest, Agriculture, Built-up and Water – were delineated premised on the prevailing geographical settings, field study and remote sensing data. Markov Cellular Automata modelling was applied to predict the probable LULC change consequence for the next 20 years (2040). The study revealed that both Open Forest and Agriculture class categories decreased 51.98 to 38.82 and 27.48 to 20.11, respectively. Meanwhile, Built-up class increased from 4.8% to 24.8% (over 500% increment from 1990 to 2020). Rapid urbanization caused the depletion of forest cover and conversion of farmlands into human settlements. The 2040 forecast map showed an upward increment in the Built-up area up to 35.2% at the expense of other LULC class categories. This trend from the past to the forecasted future would demand that judicious LULC resolutions have to be made to keep Ghana’s forest cover, provide arable land for farming activities and alleviate the effects of climate change.

scholarly journals Development and testing of scenarios for implementing Holocene LULC in Earth System Model Experiments

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sandy P. Harrison ◽  
Marie-José Gaillard ◽  
Benjamin D. Stocker ◽  
Marc Vander Linden ◽  
Kees Klein Goldewijk ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Land Cover ◽  
Anthropogenic Impacts ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
Ice Core ◽  
System Model ◽  
Global Changes ◽  
Archaeological Data ◽  
The Past ◽  
Climate Simulations ◽  
Intercomparison Project

Abstract. Anthropogenic changes in land use and land cover (LULC) during the pre-industrial Holocene could have affected regional and global climate. Current LULC scenarios are based on relatively simple assumptions and highly uncertain estimates of population changes through time. Archaeological and palaeoenvironmental reconstructions have the potential to refine these assumptions and estimates. The Past Global Changes (PAGES) LandCover6k initiative is working towards improved reconstructions of LULC globally. In this paper, we document the types of archaeological data that are being collated and how they will be used to improve LULC reconstructions. Given the large methodological uncertainties involved, we propose methods to evaluate the revised scenarios by using independent pollen-based reconstructions of land cover and of climate. A further test involves carbon-cycle simulations to determine whether the LULC reconstructions are consistent with constraints provided by ice-core records of CO2 evolution and modern-day LULC. Finally, we outline a protocol for using the improved LULC reconstructions in palaeoclimate simulations within the framework of the Palaeoclimate Modelling Intercomparison Project in order to quantify the magnitude of anthropogenic impacts on climate through time and ultimately to improve the realism of Holocene climate simulations.

scholarly journals Global assessment of land cover changes and rural-urban interface in Portugal

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marj Tonini ◽  
Joana Parente ◽  
Mario Pereira
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Land Cover ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Global Assessment ◽  
Fire Regime ◽  
Land Use Changes ◽  
Population Increase ◽  
Burnt Area ◽  
Agricultural Areas ◽  
The Impact

Abstract. The wildland-/rural-urban interface (WUI/RUI) is a particularly important aspect of the fire regime. In Mediterranean basin most of the fires in this pyro region are caused by humans and the risk and consequences are particularly high due to the close proximity to population, human infrastructures and urban areas. Population increase, urban growth and the rapid changes in land use incurred in Europe over the last 30 years has been unprecedented, especially nearby the metropolitan areas, and some of these trends are expected to continue. Associated to high socioeconomic development, Portugal experienced in the last decades significant land cover/land use changes (LCLUC), population dynamics and demographic trends in response to migration, rural abandonment, and ageing of rural population. This study aims to assess the evolution of RUI in Portugal, from 1990 to 2012, based on LCLUC providing also a quantitative characterization of forest fires dynamics in relation to the burnt area. Obtained results disclose important LCLUC which spatial distribution is far from uniform within the territory. A significant increase in artificial surfaces is registered nearby the main metropolitan communities of the northwest and littoral-central and southern regions, whilst the abandonment of agricultural land nearby the inland urban areas leads to an increase of uncultivated semi-natural and forest areas. Within agricultural areas, heterogeneous patches suffered the greatest changes and are the main contributors to the increase of urban areas. Moreover these are among the LCLU classes with higher burnt area, reasons why heterogeneous agricultural areas have been included in the definition of RUI. Finally, the mapped RUI’s area, burnt area and burnt area within RUI allow to conclude that, form 1990 to 2012 in Portugal, RUI increased more than two thirds and total burnt area decreased one third. Nevertheless, burnt area within RUI doubled, which emphasize the significance of RUI for land and fire managers. This research provides a first quantitative global assessment of RUI in Portugal and presents an innovative analysis on the impact of land use changes on burnt areas.

scholarly journals MAPPING OF SUMMER AGRICULTURAL CROPS IN THE ALTO PARAGUAI BASIN THROUGH EVI/MODIS TIME SERIES

GEOGRAFIA ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 42 (3) ◽  
pp. 129-143
Author(s):  
Clóvis CECHIM JÚNIOR ◽  
João Francisco Gonçalves ANTUNES ◽  
Jerry Adriani JOHANN ◽  
Júlio César Dalla Mora ESQUERDO
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Time Series ◽  
Land Cover ◽  
Temporal Analysis ◽  
Agricultural Expansion ◽  
Agricultural Crops ◽  
Kappa Index ◽  
Lulc Changes ◽  
Agricultural Areas ◽  
Spatial Temporal Analysis

The main land use and land cover (LULC) changes that a given area passes over the time can be evaluated by using spatial-temporal analysis of satellites images. Then, it is possible to identify the LULC changes, as well as the main causes of environmental impacts. The objective of this paper was to analyze the LULC changes of the main agricultural lands cultivated in the Alto Paraguai Basin (BAP). This paper focused on the summer crops (soybean and corn) and the analysis of agricultural expansion. The results, considering a16-year comparison, showed an increase of 40.60% in the expansion of agricultural areas. The evaluation of the accuracy showed the efficiency of the methodology of agricultural mapping, presenting a Kappa Index of 0.85 for the 2000/2001 and 0.86 for the 2015/2016 crop seasons

Idiografia dell'agricoltura

TERRITORIO ◽  
2012 ◽  
pp. 73-80
Author(s):  
Paola Viganň
Keyword(s):  
Urban Space ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
The Past ◽  
Public Areas ◽  
Agricultural Areas

Agriculture is designing cities today, not just in the sense of resuming its constituent rules in the construction of urban space, but by investing the condition of extended urban areas which we have been accustomed to calling cities for decades. The issues of réservoirs and of the relationships between biodiversity and agricultural areas and between the rural matrix and public areas are addressed in the two cases presented here (a study of the Durance Valley and the river park along the River Ripoll in Barcelona). They explore, even if only partially, the ‘idiography', the unique individuality, of agriculture, a specifi c design capable today of interacting again and differently from in the past in the construction of urban space on different scales.

scholarly journals Human-Induced and Climate-Driven Contributions to Water Storage Variations in the Haihe River Basin, China

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (24) ◽  
pp. 3050
Author(s):  
Yulong Zhong ◽  
Wei Feng ◽  
Vincent Humphrey ◽  
Min Zhong
Keyword(s):  
River Basin ◽  
Land Surface ◽  
Human Impacts ◽  
Anthropogenic Impacts ◽  
Anthropogenic Activities ◽  
Water Storage ◽  
Haihe River Basin ◽  
Haihe River ◽  
The Haihe River Basin

Terrestrial water storage (TWS) can be influenced by both climate change and anthropogenic activities. While the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) satellites have provided a global view on long-term trends in TWS, our ability to disentangle human impacts from natural climate variability remains limited. Here we present a quantitative method to isolate these two contributions with reconstructed climate-driven TWS anomalies (TWSA) based on long-term precipitation data. Using the Haihe River Basin (HRB) as a case study, we find a higher human-induced water depletion rate (−12.87 ± 1.07 mm/yr) compared to the original negative trend observed by GRACE alone for the period of 2003–2013, accounting for a positive climate-driven TWSA trend (+4.31 ± 0.72 mm/yr). We show that previous approaches (e.g., relying on land surface models) provide lower estimates of the climate-driven trend, and thus likely underestimated the human-induced trend. The isolation method presented in this study will help to interpret observed long-term TWS changes and assess regional anthropogenic impacts on water resources.

scholarly journals Impact of Land Use and Runoff on Stream Quality

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (19) ◽  
pp. 5479 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claudia S. Karlsen ◽  
Mogens R. Flindt ◽  
Melanie J. Sønderup ◽  
Martin H. Madsen ◽  
Sara Egemose
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Anthropogenic Impacts ◽  
Ecological Status ◽  
Sewer Systems ◽  
Invertebrate Composition ◽  
Urban Catchments ◽  
Stream Quality ◽  
Good Ecological Status ◽  
Agricultural Areas

Climate changes, intensive agricultural production, and expanding urban areas make the study of runoff and its possible impact on stream quality increasingly important. In this study, we examined large datasets concerning catchment type, stream quality, and invertebrate composition in a comprehensive geographic information system study. The aim was to examine correlations between land use type and quality of the receiving waters to detect possible differences in anthropogenic impacts. The studied area covered 937 km2, and the dataset included 1672 stretches of streams and data from 468 fauna sampling stations. Runoff from agricultural areas more negatively influenced the stream quality than runoff from urban areas. Considering urban catchments, the areas with separate sewer systems generally influenced the stream quality less than catchments with combined sewer systems. In conclusion, the catchment of any specific stream must contain an area with a minimum of 20–30% without agriculture or urban areas to obtain good ecological status; when focusing only on the riparian zone (10 m on each side of the stream), a minimum of 40–55% is needed to create a good ecological status. Therefore, management focus on the entire catchment is important and separate sewers should be preferred rather than combined sewers.

scholarly journals Anthropogenic and geogenic influences on peri-urban aquifers in semi-arid regions: insights from a case study in northeast Jaipur, Rajasthan, India

2021 ◽  
Vol 29 (3) ◽  
pp. 1261-1278
Author(s):  
Theresa Frommen ◽  
Maike Groeschke ◽  
Maximilian Nölscher ◽  
Paul Koeniger ◽  
Michael Schneider
Keyword(s):  
Water Supply ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Anthropogenic Impacts ◽  
Anthropogenic Activities ◽  
Groundwater Resources ◽  
Rapid Urbanization ◽  
Groundwater Levels ◽  
Planning Strategy ◽  
Quality Aspects ◽  
Management Concept

AbstractRapid urbanization has exerted considerable pressure on groundwater resources in Jaipur, India. Peri-urban areas are particularly affected as the public supply infrastructure often does not reach this fast-growing fringe, which often lacks a planning strategy, leading to an informal water supply based on groundwater. At the same time, the hills and historic reservoirs located in these areas are important for groundwater recharge and, therefore, critical for sustainable groundwater-resource management. To understand the local hydrogeology and the role of anthropogenic influences, a 2-year field study was carried out in northeastern Jaipur. The aim was to develop a conceptual model on which a management concept can be built. The study comprised hydrochemical and stable isotope analyses of water samples, depth-to-water measurements, a leveling survey and geophysical investigations. The study revealed that the groundwater from both the Proterozoic hard rock and the overlying Quaternary alluvial aquifer generally does not meet the Indian drinking water thresholds for nitrate concentration and/or total dissolved solids (TDS). While anthropogenic activities are the main source of quantity problems (declining groundwater levels through overabstraction), the biggest quality problems (nitrate up to 550 mg/L and TDS >500 mg/L) are most likely of geogenic origin and only enhanced by anthropogenic impacts. Quantity and quality aspects improve significantly in areas influenced by recharge from the historic reservoirs, leading to the conclusion that artificial recharge structures may be the way forward to improving community water supply and that groundwater protection should be given priority in these areas.

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