The Disappearing Green: Ecosystem Service Loss in Atlanta, Georgia

Urban green spaces play a critical regulatory role in sustaining ecosystem functions, however, rapid urbanization has significantly altered land-use patterns, reduced green cover, and intensified both urban heat island effects and air pollution in many cities around the world. This study assesses the spatiotemporal land-use/land-cover (LULC) changes in Atlanta, Georgia, and examines their effects on ecosystem services, urban heat island (UHI) intensity, and air-quality conditions. Landsat imagery from 1995, 2005, 2015, and 2025 was processed using Support Vector Machine (SVM) classification to quantify LULC transitions, while NDVI-based emissivity land surface temperature (LST) retrieval and interpolated PM2.5 concentrations were used to evaluate thermal and air-quality patterns. Results indicate substantial ecosystem service depletion, with forest cover declining by 19.94% and water bodies by 65.17%, while developed land increased by 83.46% between 1995 and 2025. UHI analysis for 2025 showed temperatures ranging from 21.8°C in vegetated zones to 38.4°C in highly urbanized areas, representing a relative UHI intensity of 16.6°C. Air-quality patterns revealed similarly concerning trends, with PM2.5 concentrations rising to 18–22 µg/m³ in built-up areas over 40% higher than levels in undeveloped areas. The study identifies uncontrolled population growth, urban sprawl, and infrastructure expansion as key drivers of these changes and recommends promoting infill development, expanding green infrastructure, and integrating nature-based solutions such as green roofs and bioswales in future urban planning.