Remote Sensing and GIS Applications in Environmental Sciences
Evaluating the changes of land cover and land surface temperature in the western margin of Rig Boland using Landsat satellite images
Document Type : Original Article
Authors
1 Ph.D. Student, Department of management and control of Arid Lands, Faculty of Natural Resources and Earth Sciences, University of Kashan, Kashan, Iran
2 Associate Professor, Department of Geography and Tourism, Faculty of Natural Resrources and Earth Sciences, University of Kashan
Abstract
this study investigated changes in land cover and surface temperature classes on the western edge of Rig Boland. Landsat satellite data, TM, ETM+ and OLI sensors were used to monitor landuse and temperature trends. The criterion for assessing landuse is the supervised classification using the maximum likelihood method, and for calculating the surface temperature, the spectral radiance of thermal bands is converted to LST. Results showed 6 KM2 of agricultural lands has been converted into man-made areas, 68 KM2 of ranges and sand dunes to agriculture, 40 KM2 of man-made forest to ranges, and 7 KM2 of ranges to bare lands. These changes have a direct impact on surface temperature increase, which in turn affects the ecosystem service efficiency. So, it has caused some of region's lands to become centers of dust storms. Also, due to desilting activities on Rig Boland edge with aim of quicksand stabilizing, an area of 82 KM2 of ranges and sand dunes has been converted into man-made forest. These changes have a direct effect on temperature decrease and have caused quicksand to stabilize in part of the region, which indicates the positive performance of desertification projects. Results of temperature monitoring showed the temperature zones below 35° is decreasing and the area of temperature zones above 40° is increasing. This trend indicates an increase in temperature, especially in maximum. this increase has occurred as a result of global warming, and the other part is related to changes in the landcover of natural zones to anthropogenic uses.
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