The ecosystem and economy's reliance on clean water is influenced by various factors such as geology, topography, soil types, activities, and the presence of plants and animals. The Ghana Water Company is encountering difficulties in delivering water to consumers in the Ashanti Region due to the shortage of surface water resources, leading to water rationing in the area. Furthermore, poor waste disposal practices, illegal mining, use of fertilizers, and industrial activities have resulted in surface and groundwater source damage. Therefore, there is a need to implement a reliable, simple, and timely method to assess groundwater quality. This study aims to employ GIS and RS techniques to evaluate groundwater quality and potential in the Ashanti Region, Ghana. The Water Quality Index (WQI) was estimated using pH, Total Dissolve Solid (TDS), Chloride, Total Hardness (TH), Nitrate, Temperature, Turbidity, Iron, and Electrical Conductivity (EC). The study then used the WQI distribution to conduct a groundwater potential analysis to identify suitable areas for borehole placement. Digital thematic layers and maps were developed to expose the spatial distribution of water quality parameters, enabling the identification of groundwater pollution control and remedial measures. The study estimated the region's groundwater potential using an integrated GIS and Analytical Hierarchical Process (AHP) technique, grouping under excellent, good, fair, and poor potential. The WQI in the Ashanti Region ranged from 5.208 to 134.232, with 32.252% of the study area having an excellent WQI and 60.168% of the study area having a good WQI. Poor water quality covered 7.550% of the study area. The results showed that the GIS-based AHP approach accurately mapped the spatial distribution of WQI and Groundwater Potential Zones (GWPZ). This information is helpful to planners in water resource management in groundwater exploration and future planning. Policymakers and stakeholders must ensure that groundwater sources are protected from pollution.

Introduction: Sustainable development, which balances economic, social, and environmental factors to meet the needs of the present and future generations, is a collective responsibility. Rapid population growth and intensification of socio-economic activities are causing significant changes in Land Use Land Cover (LULC), directly impacting ecosystem services, biodiversity, and climate. The Obuasi community is already facing environmental degradation and health problems due to gold mining. Methodology: The study assessed the spatial extent and intensity of mining activities in the Obuasi Municipality on the LULC and predicted future LULC changes due to mining activities using geospatial techniques. The LULC changes were analysed using Landsat satellite imagery from 1990 to 2024 using a Random Forest (RF) classifier. Results and Discussion: Mining Areas had a positive change of 27.655 km2 (18.846%) while tailing dams and flooded pits increased by 46.655 km2 (31.724%). Dense vegetation, less dense foliage, and built-up and bare land decreased by -34.692%, -8.024%, and -7.854%, respectively. These significant environmental changes show the need for effective land management strategies and geospatial techniques to monitor and mitigate adverse effects, promoting sustainable development policies and ecological resilience. Significance: The findings of this study provide valuable insights into the environmental impacts of mining, emphasising the need to make informed research and policy decisions in the field of environmental science.

The 2019 Mississippi River floods were among the most severe in recent U.S. history, impacting 11 states and driven by multiple tributary flood events rather than a single episode. This study focuses on the Lower Mississippi River Basin in Mississippi, examining how flood frequency interacts with land ownership patterns to influence agricultural losses in the Yazoo–Mississippi Delta. Using Sentinel-2 imagery within Google Earth Engine, land use and land cover were classified with a random forest algorithm, followed by change detection and a flood recurrence–persistence modeling framework to map and characterize inundation. Results indicate that mid-year floods (April–July) caused the greatest crop losses, particularly in soybeans (4475 ha), cotton (501 ha), and corn (546 ha). Most impacts were associated with short-duration, low-recurrence floods, which affected many structures (1812) and extensive agricultural areas due to their broad spatial reach. Small agricultural parcels (≤48 ha) experienced the highest proportional exposure across flood zones, while medium and large parcels showed comparatively lower vulnerability. These findings highlight the importance of targeted resilience and mitigation strategies that account for flood frequency, land use, and land ownership patterns across the Delta.

The Yazoo–Mississippi Delta has undergone substantial land use and land cover transitions over the past century, with cropland expansion peaking in the mid-twentieth century followed by sustained decline and partial reforestation. These landscape changes modify surface properties and may influence regional hydroclimate through altered land–atmosphere coupling. Here, we integrate satellite observations (MODIS), historical reconstructions (LUH2), reanalysis products (ERA5), and high-resolution PRISM temperature data to quantify cropland trends and associated changes in vegetation structure, surface energy fluxes, boundary layer characteristics, and convective potential from 2001–2022, with historical context extending to 1850. To isolate local land-surface forcing from large-scale climate variability, we conduct idealized experiments using the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model in which cropland surface characteristics are progressively replaced with deciduous broadleaf forest values under identical atmospheric forcing. Observations indicate an approximately 5% decline in cropland since 2001, accompanied by increases in woody vegetation. Reanalysis data suggest modest regional increases in latent heat and decrease in sensible heat, although spatial patterns are heterogeneous and influenced by broader southeastern U.S. climate trends. WRF simulations reveal a coherent and generally statistically significant responses in latent heat flux, sensible heat flux, Planetary boundary layer height, and near-surface air temperature during the growing season. Atmospheric stability metrics indicate a more favorable local thermodynamic environment for convection, whereas precipitation responses remain spatially variable and are not confined to the Delta. These results show that cropland decline and reforestation can alter surface energy partitioning and boundary layer structure in the Mississippi Delta, while precipitation remains strongly modulated by synoptic-scale forcing. Findings underscore the importance of representing agricultural land transitions in regional climate assessments of highly managed landscapes.