Abstract
Rapid land use and land cover changes have a significant effect on ecology, environment, and human health in urban watersheds. With increase in frequency and intensity of the urban flooding events and repeated inundation of the neighborhoods, it is important to monitor the water and soil chemical characteristics in Greens Bayou Watershed (GBW) region. The objectives of this study were to (1) analyze the nutrient and heavy metal concentrations in water and soil samples along the Greens Bayou, (2) monitor the historical water quality data, and (3) identify and analyze land cover changes in the watershed using Landsat imagery. A total of 12 water and 12 soil samples, from four different sampling locations along the Greens Bayou, were collected during two seasons and processed for chemical analysis. Our water sample analysis revealed that the As, Cd, Pb, and Hg concentrations were higher in the fall compared with the summer and exceeded the critical limit. The soil analysis indicated that the Zn and Pb concentrations were higher in the fall over summer season and exceeded the background concentrations. Remote sensing analysis revealed that the impervious surface in the GBW increased by about 62.2% while the vegetative surface decreased by 30.6% during the period of 1984 to 2018. Environmental chemical analysis coupled with geospatial data demonstrated the impact of land cover changes on water and soil quality along the Greens Bayou by identifying areas vulnerable to change, which can be better managed to preserve the health of this urban watershed ecosystem.
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Acknowledgments
We acknowledge Ms. Djene Keita for the chemical analysis of water and soil samples and Mr. Adesope, Mr. Habibur, and Ms. Malikiya for help in water and soil sampling.
Funding
This research was primarily supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF) through the Texas Southern University (TSU) under the award numbers HRD-1622993 and BCS-1831205.
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Sridhar, B.B.M., Johnson, J. & Mosuro, A. Impact of Land Cover Changes on the Soil and Water Quality of Greens Bayou Watershed. Water Air Soil Pollut 231, 510 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11270-020-04890-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11270-020-04890-7