Identifying the Relationships between Water Quality and Land Cover Changes in the Tseng-Wen Reservoir Watershed of Taiwan

Hone-Jay Chu, Chun-Yu Liu and Chi-Kuei Wang
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Hone-Jay Chu: Department of Geomatics, National Cheng Kung University, No. 1, University Road, Tainan City 701, Taiwan
Chun-Yu Liu: Department of Geomatics, National Cheng Kung University, No. 1, University Road, Tainan City 701, Taiwan
Chi-Kuei Wang: Department of Geomatics, National Cheng Kung University, No. 1, University Road, Tainan City 701, Taiwan

IJERPH, 2013, vol. 10, issue 2, 1-12

Abstract: The effects on water quality of land use and land cover changes, which are associated with human activities and natural factors, are poorly identified. Fine resolution satellite imagery provides opportunities for land cover monitoring and assessment. The multiple satellite images after typhoon events collected from 2001 to 2010 covering land areas and land cover conditions are evaluated by the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI). The relationship between land cover and observed water quality, such as suspended solids (SS) and nitrate-nitrogens (NO 3 -N), are explored in the study area. Results show that the long-term variations in water quality are explained by NDVI data in the reservoir buffer zones. Suspended solid and nitrate concentrations are related to average NDVI values on multiple spatial scales. Annual NO 3 -N concentrations are positively correlated with an average NDVI with a 1 km reservoir buffer area, and the SS after typhoon events associated with landslides are negatively correlated with the average NDVI in the entire watershed. This study provides an approach for assessing the influences of land cover on variations in water quality.

Keywords: remote sensing; NDVI; water quality; land cover change; regression (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2013
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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