AUTHOR=Sharifi Omid , Behroozeh Sepideh , Behroozeh Samira 

TITLE=Soil Parameters Under Varying Land Use Types in -Spatiotemporal Trends of Climatic Southern Iran

JOURNAL=Spanish Journal of Soil Science

VOLUME=Volume 15 - 2025

YEAR=2025

URL=https://www.frontierspartnerships.org/journals/spanish-journal-of-soil-science/articles/10.3389/sjss.2025.14806

DOI=10.3389/sjss.2025.14806

ISSN=2253-6574

ABSTRACT=The study of land use change dynamics in developing countries is particularly important, as it contributes to sustainable land management and the more efficient use of natural resources. Southern Iran, which includes the provinces of Bushehr, Fars, Kerman, Sistan and Baluchestan, and Hormozgan, provides a valuable case study due to its diverse land uses and varying climatic conditions. It is hypothesized that land use changes between 2000 and 2022 in this region have significantly impacted the trends of soil temperature (ST) and soil volumetric water content (SWV), especially in areas where natural covers such as forests and shrublands have been converted to agricultural or barren lands. Trend analysis using the Mann-Kendall Z test and Sen’s slope estimator revealed a negative trend in ST across 62.60% of the study area, encompassing most parts of Sistan and Baluchestan, Kerman, Hormozgan, and southeastern Fars. In these regions, soil volumetric water content showed a positive and statistically significant trend. It can be attributed to an increase in sudden and intense rainfall and seasonal precipitation patterns. In 34.79% of the study area, an increasing trend in ST was observed, particularly in Bushehr and sporadically in parts of Fars Province. Similarly, the trend analysis of soil climate variables across different land uses indicated that soil volumetric water content increased by 85.36% in barren lands and by 66.36% in grasslands. In contrast, negative trends were found in forests (94.85%), shrublands (72.79%), and agricultural lands (82.24%). The main reason for this declining trend is the conversion of forests and shrublands to agricultural land. The trend of ST showed a decrease of 69.23% in barren land use, 94.85% in forest use, and 56.73% in grassland use. In these land uses, trees and dense vegetation block direct sunlight, which helps keep ST lower in these areas. In contrast, an increasing trend was observed in shrublands (63.48%) and agricultural lands (82%). Given the rapid pace of land use change, forecasting and analyzing satellite imagery represents a valuable approach for supporting environmental management strategies. Such forecasts provide deeper insights into potential future changes and inform proactive measures to mitigate their adverse impacts.