Mohamed A. Aboelghar

Mutual influence between climate and vegetation cover through satellite data in Egypt

The effect of vegetation cover on climatic change has not yet observed in Egypt. In the current study, Ismailia Governorate was selected as a case study to assess the impact of the vegetation cover expansion on both land surface and air temperature during twenty-eight years from 1983 to 2010. This observation site was carefully selected as a clear example for the highly rate of reclamation and vegetation expansion process in Egypt. Land Surface Temperature (LST) that were extracted from NOAA/AVHRR satellite data and air temperature (Tair) data that were collected from ground stations, were correlated with the expansion of vegetation cover that was delineated using Landsat TM and Landsat ETM+ data. The result showed that (LST) decreased by about 2.3°C while (Tair) decreased by about 1.6°C with the expansion of the cultivated land during twenty-eight years.