Examining environmental stress changes in response to climate change and land use dynamics in the Colorado River Basin over the past two decades
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: The Colorado River Basin (CRB) is a critical resource for the Southwestern US, supplying water to 40 million people and supporting wildlife habitats. Given the Southwest’s reliance on the CRB, recognizing the impacts of climate change and prolonged drought is crucial for addressing water resources and environmental sustainability challenges. However, comprehensive studies linking environmental stressors to climate change and land use dynamics remain scarce. This study investigated spatiotemporal changes in forest and percent tree cover (PTC) and generated 30m resolution datasets for actual evapotranspiration (ETa), enhanced vegetation index (EVI), and land surface temperature (LST) using all available Landsat images from 2001 to 2021. The Mann-Kendall test was employed to identify the environmental changes over two decades. Ordinary Least Squares regression analysis quantified relationships among environmental parameters. Results showed 5,340 km2 (3.82%) of forest degradation, while only 739 km2 (0.56%) reforested. The CRB experienced an average temperature increase of 2.04°C over two decades, with 28.9% of the area exhibiting a significant warming trend, on average 3.98°C, indicating an intensification of heat stress. Also, regions with declining vegetation health and tree cover are deteriorating at a much faster rate than areas of improvement, with Colorado state experiencing the highest environmental deterioration. Unchanged forest serves as a baseline with minimal changes, highlighting the importance of preserving forest cover for stable environmental conditions. These findings put into perspective an urgent need for policymakers, planners, and managers to protect forests and rehabilitate degraded lands to sustain ecosystems and adapt to environmental changes.
Source: Sustainable Futures
Authors: Babak Heidari, Soe W. Myint, Yuanhui Zhu
Institution: Texas State University
Language: English
Subfield: Ecology
Field: Environmental Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
SDGs: Climate action, Life on land
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $2,340
OpenAlex ID: W4415218736