Urban Expansion and Climate Change: Spatio-Temporal Analysis of Land Use and Land Cover Changes in Ranchi City, India

This study investigates the spatio-temporal changes in land use and land cover (LU/LC) in Ranchi City from 1999 to 2024 and evaluates their impact on the climate. Satellite imagery from LISS III Resourcesat 1 (NRSC) and LANDSAT 7 (USGS) for the years 1999, 2004, 2009, 2014 and 2024 were utilized. A supervised image classification approach using maximum likelihood classification (MLC) was employed to generate LU/LC maps. To assess the accuracy of these classifications, 400 sample verification points were selected through purposive random sampling. The results indicate a consistent increase in built-up areas, alongside a continued decrease in forest cover, agricultural land, water bodies and open spaces. This transformation underscores significant shifts in land use patterns and provides insights into their potential impacts on local climate dynamics.