Impact of Land Use Land Cover Change on Sambhar Lake

The Aravalli range is one of the oldest mountain ranges in the world. Many lakes are sustained by the streams generated from the Aravalli range. In the last few years, hill systems are facing changes affecting the catchment of water bodies. Many waterbodies that were earlier able to provide water in peak summers are now dried up before the summer. The study aims to analyse land use land cover change in the Aravalli range on Sambhar Lake. Sambhar Lake is the largest inland saltwater lake in India and was selected as a “Ramsar Site.” A catchment area of the lake is delineated, and micro-watersheds are selected for detailed analysis. A primary survey is done to know the impacts and causes of changes in the lake. The study indicates significant green cover changes in three seasons over the years. Because of the loss in green cover, the soil is losing its moisture, affecting the cropping pattern and agriculture production in the area. Factors causing the drying of the lake are affecting its ecosystem and the number of birds coming to it.

Green Spaces Availability versus Accessibility: Case of Okhla, South Delhi

Green spaces are inevitable for people to live and grow. These spaces form an ambit for interaction with nature and people from myriad groups. This paper examines the availability of such spaces in ward no. 102S and 101S of South Delhi and the resident’s accessibility to these spaces. The green cover available per person in Sarita Vihar is 14.645 Sq m/Person which fulfils the URDPFI and WHO guidelines in contrary to 3.969 Sq m/Person for Abul fazal enclave. The Public parks are located towards the periphery in Sarita Vihar, more than the walking distance of 400m. 1 public park exists in Abul Fazal Enclave toward the extreme periphery accessible with a ticket of Rs 30 for the adults. It concludes giving possible recommendations at a micro level for better allocation of green spaces based on factors of density and context of the settlement.

Green Spaces Availability versus Accessibility: Case of Okhla, South Delhi

Green spaces are inevitable for people to live and grow. These spaces form an ambit for interaction with nature and people from myriad groups. This paper examines the availability of such spaces in ward no. 102S and 101S of South Delhi and the resident’s accessibility to these spaces. The green cover available per person in Sarita Vihar is 14.645 Sq m/Person which fulfils the URDPFI and WHO guidelines in contrary to 3.969 Sq m/Person for Abul fazal enclave. The Public parks are located towards the periphery in Sarita Vihar, more than the walking distance of 400m. 1 public park exists in Abul Fazal Enclave toward the extreme periphery accessible with a ticket of Rs 30 for the adults. It concludes giving possible recommendations at a micro level for better allocation of green spaces based on factors of density and context of the settlement.

Review to Reasons and Desertification Control in Iraq

Desertification is the loss of land for its green cover and the inability of the soil to produce agricultural crops. The causes of desertification are either erosion of the soil surface by water and winds, or the high concentration of salts, as well as the high level of ground water or the lack of sufficient water for agriculture. In addition to human activities, and for these reasons, we often talk about failed agricultural management or inappropriate environmental conditions. Desertification control lies by using modern irrigation methods such as drip and sprinkler irrigation, and that using these methods can provide water for cultivating of new lands and reclaiming desertified lands. Experience shows that modern irrigation methods can save about 50% of water and increase agricultural production by about 60% compared to convention irrigation methods. The study recommends training farmers and encouraging them to follow modern irrigation methods and introducing them to the danger of desertification and its economic, environmental and social impacts. The study also proposes the establishment of two rivers parallel to the Tigris and the Euphrates, one of which stems from Samarra and ends in the south of Kut, and the second stems from the Anbar Governorate and ends in the south of Najaf Governorate. This project will increase the efficiency of irrigation. Finally, controlling desertification leads to preventing environmental pollution, creating too many job opportunities, achieving food security and raising the standard of living for people.

Evaluating the Impact of Grazing Cessation and Reintroduction in Mixed Prairie Using Raster Time Series Analysis of Landsat Data

Great efforts have been made to manage and restore native prairies to protect native species, enrich biodiversity, protect ecological resilience, and maintain ecosystem services. Much of this has been focused on preventing degradation from overgrazing and crop conversion. Understanding the consequences of management polices is important to identify best practices. Previous research has compared restoration outcomes from variable intensity grazing, prescribed fire, and grazing removal. However, few studies have explored the optimal durations of management practices and variation in restoration outcomes among vegetation communities. This study evaluates whether the impact of grazing cessation and reintroduction varies among native vegetation communities and measures the effective time periods of grazing cessation and reintroduction. Restoration outcomes were evaluated using four biophysical indicators (fresh biomass, soil organic matter, green cover, and litter cover) and two vegetation indices (normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and normalized difference water index (NDWI)) measured from Landsat images using seasonal Kalman filter and raster time series analysis. The results show that: (i) Grazing cessation increased soil organic matter and green cover while decreasing fresh biomass compared to moderate grazing management, while grazing reintroduction influences those indicators in an opposite direction; (ii) The effective time period for prairie conservation is about 11–14 years and varies among vegetation communities and biophysical indicators; (iii) The effective intensity of grazing cessation is highest in valley grassland, moderate in upland grassland, and mildest in sloped grassland; (iv) Grazing reintroduction returned the three native vegetation communities to the initial condition (i.e., the stage in 1985 before large grazers were removed), with less time than the time consumed for grazing cessation to restore the prairie ecosystem to the maximum changes; (v) Grazing reintroduction effectively influences upland and valley grasslands for 7 to 9 years, varying from different indicators, while it continuously affected sloped grassland with no clear time lag; (vi) The intensity of grazing reintroduction was strongest in sloped grassland, moderate in upland grassland, and mildest in valley grassland. The results of this study suggest expected time periods for prairie management methods to achieve results.

Development and Verification of the Effectiveness of a Fine Dust Reduction Planting Model for Socially Vulnerable Area

Creating a green infrastructure that is effective for reducing fine dust is a significant challenge for urban landscape planners. In this study, a fine dust reduction planting model that can be applied to socially vulnerable area was developed, and its effects were verified. Using PM10, PM2.5, temperature, relative humidity, wind direction, and wind speed measured for approximately one year, the changes in the concentration of fine dust according to the weather conditions were investigated. As a result of the analysis, there was a significant difference in the concentration of fine dust inside and outside the planting zone (p < 0.05). In addition, there is a significant difference between the fine dust reduction effect of the multilayered planting model and the single planting model (p < 0.05). The paper’s main findings are as follows: (1) When the green cover rate is over 50%, the concentration of fine dust is lower than that outside the planting zones. (2) Multilayered planting zones are more effective in reducing the concentration of fine dust than single-structured planting zones. (3) Multilayered planting zones reduce the concentration of fine dust by changing the microclimate. The results of this study can be used as basic data for small urban planting design to reduce fine dust for children’s health in socially vulnerable areas.

Effect of Land Surface Temperature on Urban Heat Island in Varanasi City, India

Crucial changes in urban climate can be witnessed due to rapid urbanisation of cities across the world. It is important to find a balance between urban expansion and thermal environment quality to guarantee sustainable urban development. Thus, it is a major research priority to study the urban heat island (UHI) in various fields, i.e., climate change urban ecology, urban climatology, urban planning, mitigation and management, urban geography, etc. The present study highlighted the interrelationship between land surface temperature (LST) and the abundance of impervious cover and green cover in the Varanasi city of Uttar Pradesh, India. For this purpose, we used various GIS and remote-sensing techniques. Landsat 8 images, land-use–land-cover pattern including urban/rural gradients, and grid- and metric-based multi-resolution techniques were used for the analysis. From the study, it was noticed that LST, density of impervious cover, and density of green cover were correlated significantly, and an urban gradient existed over the entire city, depicting a typical UHI profile. It was also concluded that the orientation, randomness, and aggregation of impervious cover and green cover have a strong correlation with LST. From this study, it is recommended that, when planning urban extension, spatial variation of impervious cover and green cover are designed properly to ensure the comfort of all living beings as per the ecological point of view.