Investigation of land use changes and its relationship with groundwater level Case study: Meshginshahr plain

The depletion of surface water resources has necessitated uncontrolled groundwater abstraction in various regions worldwide, resulting in substantial reductions in groundwater table levels.As populations continue to expand, the extraction of these essential resources has intensified, posing a significant threat to natural reserves.This study aims to monitor groundwater levels through the analysis of satellite imagery and to investigate the correlation between these levels and land use patterns.To accomplish this objective, relevant satellite images were acquired and subjected to appropriate pre-processing.An object-oriented methodology was employed to generate land use classification maps for two distinct years, alongside a land use change map covering a fifteen-year period from 2000 to 2015.Moreover, groundwater level maps for the study area were produced for both years utilizing the Gaussian method, recognized as the most accurate approach.The findings indicate a robust and significant relationship between land use and groundwater levels, revealing that areas with higher vegetation exhibit lower groundwater levels compared to other regions.This phenomenon can be attributed to the hydrological dynamics that facilitate the movement of water from higher potential zones to these areas.Additionally, irrigated agricultural practices demonstrated the most pronounced average decline in water levels relative to other land uses, underscoring the excessive reliance on groundwater for irrigation in the study area.The results further illustrate that the conventional kriging method with Gaussian variance surpasses other techniques in estimating groundwater table depths across both statistical periods.Analysis through conventional kriging reveals a general decline in groundwater levels throughout the majority of the plain during the study period, with a maximum decrease of 40 meters and an average reduction of 15 meters.