Analyzing the Influence of Climate and Anthropogenic Development on Vegetation Cover in the Coastal Ecosystems of GCC

<p dir="ltr">The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries have experienced rapid coastal development over the past decades, significantly impacting their marine ecosystems. This study aimed to study the land use and land cover change for coastal vegetation in GCC countries from 2000...

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Main Author: Abhilash Dutta Roy (22466830) (author)
Other Authors: Midhun Mohan (3621155) (author), Aaron Althauser (22466833) (author), Amare Gebrie (22466836) (author), Meshal Abdullah (17746950) (author), Talal Al-Awadhi (16932552) (author), Ahmed M. El Kenawy (8098730) (author), Ammar Abulibdeh (15785928) (author)
Published: 2025
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author Abhilash Dutta Roy (22466830)
author2 Midhun Mohan (3621155)
Aaron Althauser (22466833)
Amare Gebrie (22466836)
Meshal Abdullah (17746950)
Talal Al-Awadhi (16932552)
Ahmed M. El Kenawy (8098730)
Ammar Abulibdeh (15785928)
author2_role author
author
author
author
author
author
author
author_facet Abhilash Dutta Roy (22466830)
Midhun Mohan (3621155)
Aaron Althauser (22466833)
Amare Gebrie (22466836)
Meshal Abdullah (17746950)
Talal Al-Awadhi (16932552)
Ahmed M. El Kenawy (8098730)
Ammar Abulibdeh (15785928)
author_role author
dc.creator.none.fl_str_mv Abhilash Dutta Roy (22466830)
Midhun Mohan (3621155)
Aaron Althauser (22466833)
Amare Gebrie (22466836)
Meshal Abdullah (17746950)
Talal Al-Awadhi (16932552)
Ahmed M. El Kenawy (8098730)
Ammar Abulibdeh (15785928)
dc.date.none.fl_str_mv 2025-04-18T09:00:00Z
dc.identifier.none.fl_str_mv 10.1007/s41748-025-00625-y
dc.relation.none.fl_str_mv https://figshare.com/articles/journal_contribution/Analyzing_the_Influence_of_Climate_and_Anthropogenic_Development_on_Vegetation_Cover_in_the_Coastal_Ecosystems_of_GCC/30405712
dc.rights.none.fl_str_mv CC BY 4.0
info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
dc.subject.none.fl_str_mv Biological sciences
Bioinformatics and computational biology
Information and computing sciences
Machine learning
Gulf Cooperation Council
Landsat
Random Forest
Multiple linear regression
Coastal vegetation
dc.title.none.fl_str_mv Analyzing the Influence of Climate and Anthropogenic Development on Vegetation Cover in the Coastal Ecosystems of GCC
dc.type.none.fl_str_mv Text
Journal contribution
info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
text
contribution to journal
description <p dir="ltr">The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries have experienced rapid coastal development over the past decades, significantly impacting their marine ecosystems. This study aimed to study the land use and land cover change for coastal vegetation in GCC countries from 2000 to 2023 using remote sensing and machine learning techniques, and to identify the impact of climate and anthropogenic factors on coastal vegetation cover of the GCC. We used Landsat satellite imagery and a Random Forest classification algorithm to map various land cover classes along the GCC coastline. Our results revealed significant changes in land cover, as seen by an increase in artificial built-up areas by 15.5% in two decades and a corresponding decrease in bareland and dense vegetation. We also observed an increase in mangrove and seagrass areas, likely due to recent conservation and afforestation efforts. The spatiotemporal analysis showed trends in land cover changes, with agricultural areas generally increasing (21.6%) and bareland steadily decreasing (− 21.2%). Dense vegetation declined by 35% from 2003 to 2023, while mangroves increased by 6%. A multiple linear regression analysis among the various climatic and anthropogenic factors showed that higher temperature positively affected mangroves and seagrass while having a negative relation to dense vegetation. Anthropogenic factors such as urban expansion and agricultural growth negatively impacted dense vegetation. Our findings underscore the need for integrated coastal management strategies balancing economic development with environmental conservation. Further research using higher resolution imagery and advanced classification techniques could improve accuracy and use of the results on a localized level. Our results also provide a baseline for future monitoring and management of coastal ecosystems in the GCC region.</p><h2>Other Information</h2><p dir="ltr">Published in: Earth Systems and Environment<br>License: <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0" target="_blank">https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0</a><br>See article on publisher's website: <a href="https://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s41748-025-00625-y" target="_blank">https://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s41748-025-00625-y</a></p>
eu_rights_str_mv openAccess
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identifier_str_mv 10.1007/s41748-025-00625-y
network_acronym_str Manara2
network_name_str Manara2
oai_identifier_str oai:figshare.com:article/30405712
publishDate 2025
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spelling Analyzing the Influence of Climate and Anthropogenic Development on Vegetation Cover in the Coastal Ecosystems of GCCAbhilash Dutta Roy (22466830)Midhun Mohan (3621155)Aaron Althauser (22466833)Amare Gebrie (22466836)Meshal Abdullah (17746950)Talal Al-Awadhi (16932552)Ahmed M. El Kenawy (8098730)Ammar Abulibdeh (15785928)Biological sciencesBioinformatics and computational biologyInformation and computing sciencesMachine learningGulf Cooperation CouncilLandsatRandom ForestMultiple linear regressionCoastal vegetation<p dir="ltr">The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries have experienced rapid coastal development over the past decades, significantly impacting their marine ecosystems. This study aimed to study the land use and land cover change for coastal vegetation in GCC countries from 2000 to 2023 using remote sensing and machine learning techniques, and to identify the impact of climate and anthropogenic factors on coastal vegetation cover of the GCC. We used Landsat satellite imagery and a Random Forest classification algorithm to map various land cover classes along the GCC coastline. Our results revealed significant changes in land cover, as seen by an increase in artificial built-up areas by 15.5% in two decades and a corresponding decrease in bareland and dense vegetation. We also observed an increase in mangrove and seagrass areas, likely due to recent conservation and afforestation efforts. The spatiotemporal analysis showed trends in land cover changes, with agricultural areas generally increasing (21.6%) and bareland steadily decreasing (− 21.2%). Dense vegetation declined by 35% from 2003 to 2023, while mangroves increased by 6%. A multiple linear regression analysis among the various climatic and anthropogenic factors showed that higher temperature positively affected mangroves and seagrass while having a negative relation to dense vegetation. Anthropogenic factors such as urban expansion and agricultural growth negatively impacted dense vegetation. Our findings underscore the need for integrated coastal management strategies balancing economic development with environmental conservation. Further research using higher resolution imagery and advanced classification techniques could improve accuracy and use of the results on a localized level. Our results also provide a baseline for future monitoring and management of coastal ecosystems in the GCC region.</p><h2>Other Information</h2><p dir="ltr">Published in: Earth Systems and Environment<br>License: <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0" target="_blank">https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0</a><br>See article on publisher's website: <a href="https://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s41748-025-00625-y" target="_blank">https://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s41748-025-00625-y</a></p>2025-04-18T09:00:00ZTextJournal contributioninfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersiontextcontribution to journal10.1007/s41748-025-00625-yhttps://figshare.com/articles/journal_contribution/Analyzing_the_Influence_of_Climate_and_Anthropogenic_Development_on_Vegetation_Cover_in_the_Coastal_Ecosystems_of_GCC/30405712CC BY 4.0info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccessoai:figshare.com:article/304057122025-04-18T09:00:00Z
spellingShingle Analyzing the Influence of Climate and Anthropogenic Development on Vegetation Cover in the Coastal Ecosystems of GCC
Abhilash Dutta Roy (22466830)
Biological sciences
Bioinformatics and computational biology
Information and computing sciences
Machine learning
Gulf Cooperation Council
Landsat
Random Forest
Multiple linear regression
Coastal vegetation
status_str publishedVersion
title Analyzing the Influence of Climate and Anthropogenic Development on Vegetation Cover in the Coastal Ecosystems of GCC
title_full Analyzing the Influence of Climate and Anthropogenic Development on Vegetation Cover in the Coastal Ecosystems of GCC
title_fullStr Analyzing the Influence of Climate and Anthropogenic Development on Vegetation Cover in the Coastal Ecosystems of GCC
title_full_unstemmed Analyzing the Influence of Climate and Anthropogenic Development on Vegetation Cover in the Coastal Ecosystems of GCC
title_short Analyzing the Influence of Climate and Anthropogenic Development on Vegetation Cover in the Coastal Ecosystems of GCC
title_sort Analyzing the Influence of Climate and Anthropogenic Development on Vegetation Cover in the Coastal Ecosystems of GCC
topic Biological sciences
Bioinformatics and computational biology
Information and computing sciences
Machine learning
Gulf Cooperation Council
Landsat
Random Forest
Multiple linear regression
Coastal vegetation