Geospatial Evaluation for Ecological Watershed Management II: Changes in Land Use—Land Cover Influence on Ecosystems Services

• Published in: Journal of geographic information system 2014-06, Vol.6 (3), p.246-246
• Main Authors: Aighewi, Isoken, Ishaque, Ali, Nosakhare, Osarodion
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Ecosystems; Geographic information systems; Global warming; Land; Land cover; Marine; Shores; Surface water; Water quality; Watersheds
• ISSN: 2151-1950; 2151-1969
• DOI: 10.4236/jgis.2014.63023

The primary objective of this study was to evaluate the Land use -- land cover changes of some Eastern Shore sub-watersheds of Maryland from 1986-2006 and qualitatively assess the impact of the changes on some key ecosystem services. Landsat-TM data for Maryland Eastern Shore in the US were analyzed in ENVI and ArcGIS environment and data interpreted qualitatively. The result showed that forest lands increased during the study period and thus enhanced carbon sequestration favorable for mitigating global warming in the area. Also, the extent of surface water cover increased slightly, possibly due to rising sea level and a thus a potential threat to biodiversity and barrier islands nearby. There was also a significant increase in urban lands due to population increase and thus increase in the extent of impervious layers that could lead to reduced surface runoff and increase the potential for surface water quality impairment; this could lead to a reduction in the capacity of surface water ecosystem to provide clean/recreational waters.