Spatiotemporal Dynamics of Land Use/Land Cover and Climate Variability in a Morphoclimatic Setting of Barlekha Upazila, Sylhet, Bangladesh

Abstract

Morphoclimatic systems are responsive to climatic fluctuations and human-induced land transformations, especially within rapidly urbanizing regions of South Asia. This study examines the spatiotemporal patterns of land use and land cover (LULC) change and related climatic variability in Barlekha Upazila, northeastern Bangladesh, from 2005 to 2021, focusing on their implications for morphoclimatic processes. Multi-temporal satellite images from 2005, 2010, 2015, and 2021 were analyzed using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and remote sensing techniques. Major LULC categories—water bodies, vegetation, agricultural land, and built-up areas—were identified through an unsupervised classification method. Climatic parameters, including temperature, precipitation, and relative humidity, were obtained from NASA datasets to assess seasonal and interannual variations and their linkage with LULC dynamics.