Analysis of Challenges in Land Use Changes in Coastal Cities Using Satellite Imagery and Classification Algorithms (Case Study: Kangan County)

Document Type : Original Article

Author

Assistant Professor, Department of Geography, Payame Noor University, Tehran, Iran.

10.22124/gscaj.2025.29694.1343

Abstract

Coastal cities, due to their vulnerability to climate change, urbanization pressures, and socio-economic transformations, increasingly require analysis of land use changes. The main objective of this research is to analyze land use changes in Kangān County in the years 2000 and 2021 and predict the trend of changes for the year 2040, followed by estimating the level of water pollution. Data collection involved the use of Landsat 7 and Sentinel-2 satellite images for the years 2000 and 2021 through the Google Earth Engine platform, and the prediction of land use for 2040 was conducted using the Markov Chain model.
The findings indicate that urban and industrial areas have experienced significant growth during this period, and this trend is expected to continue until 2040. Additionally, the relationship between land use changes and water pollution is clearly observed. The increase in SPM (suspended particulate matter) levels in water resources from 22 mg/L in 2000 to 1515 mg/L in 2021 highlights the impact of human and industrial activities on water quality. The expansion of petrochemical industries, port activities, and the discharge of urban wastewater into water resources are among the main factors contributing to this pollution.
Based on the findings, it can be concluded that achieving sustainable development in Kangān County requires establishing an appropriate balance between economic development and environmental conservation

Highlights

  • Kangān County, whose urban and industrial growth has increased significantly between 2000 and 2021.
  • - Forecasts show that urban growth in Kangān County will increase further by 2040.
  • - On the other hand, land use changes in this county have caused pollution of coastal waters and led to a decrease in agricultural land.

Keywords

Main Subjects

References

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Geographical Studies of Coastal Areas Journal
Volume 6, Issue 4 - Serial Number 23
November 2026
Pages 41-56

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