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Evaluation of the Changes of Vegetation Cover Impact on Rainfall Using Remote Sensing in Wag Hemra Zone, Amhara Region, Ethiopia

Received: 14 September 2025     Accepted: 11 October 2025     Published: 30 October 2025
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Abstract

Landsat imagery has the ability to assess the effect of vegetation cover change on rainfall. CHRIPS data was also used to analyze rainfall time series and trend line from 1990-2024. The goal of this study was to examine temporary and spatial changes in vegetation cover impact on rainfall, examine the trends of rainfall and the correlation between rainfalls with vegetation cover change during the study period. The study methods were undertaken using NDVI, change detection, Mann-Kendall's and Sen's slope test and correlation analysis. This study explores using NDVI analysis, the vegetation cover was shown 13.5% in 1990, 29.8% in 2000, 20.2% in 2010, 31.3% in 2020 and 24.1 in 2024 over the study area. Therefore, the amount of vegetation cover has been regenerated by about 89,272 hectares (10.7%) in the past 35 years in the study area. this study results, the minimum, maximum and mean rainfalls have declined trend lines of 0.497, 0.81 and 0.26mm per year over the past 35 years period (1990-2024) respectively. Statistically non-significant trends were shown in maximum and mean rainfall but not in minimum rainfall. However, the analysis of the trend line explained that the minimum, maximum, and mean rainfalls were changed by the factors of -0.497 mm, -0.81mm, and -0.26 mm per year respectively. The mean rainfall of the vegetated area was greater than the mean rainfall of non-vegetated area for all reference years. This indicates areas with low vegetation cover or low NDVI values have shown low mean rainfall. Based on the coefficient of determination, 3% of vegetation cover change was caused by rainfall in the study area. All the residents of Wag Hemra zone are to strengthen the protection of the vegetation cover in the study area and encourage afforestation work.

Published in American Journal of Remote Sensing (Volume 13, Issue 2)
DOI 10.11648/j.ajrs.20251302.12
Page(s) 73-86
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This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2025. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Vegetation Cover, NDVI, Remote Sensing, Rainfall, Wag Hemra

References
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    Alemu, W. G. (2025). Evaluation of the Changes of Vegetation Cover Impact on Rainfall Using Remote Sensing in Wag Hemra Zone, Amhara Region, Ethiopia. American Journal of Remote Sensing, 13(2), 73-86. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajrs.20251302.12

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    Alemu, W. G. Evaluation of the Changes of Vegetation Cover Impact on Rainfall Using Remote Sensing in Wag Hemra Zone, Amhara Region, Ethiopia. Am. J. Remote Sens. 2025, 13(2), 73-86. doi: 10.11648/j.ajrs.20251302.12

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    AMA Style

    Alemu WG. Evaluation of the Changes of Vegetation Cover Impact on Rainfall Using Remote Sensing in Wag Hemra Zone, Amhara Region, Ethiopia. Am J Remote Sens. 2025;13(2):73-86. doi: 10.11648/j.ajrs.20251302.12

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  • @article{10.11648/j.ajrs.20251302.12,
      author = {Wendimnew Getachew Alemu},
      title = {Evaluation of the Changes of Vegetation Cover Impact on Rainfall Using Remote Sensing in Wag Hemra Zone, Amhara Region, Ethiopia
    },
      journal = {American Journal of Remote Sensing},
      volume = {13},
      number = {2},
      pages = {73-86},
      doi = {10.11648/j.ajrs.20251302.12},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajrs.20251302.12},
      eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ajrs.20251302.12},
      abstract = {Landsat imagery has the ability to assess the effect of vegetation cover change on rainfall. CHRIPS data was also used to analyze rainfall time series and trend line from 1990-2024. The goal of this study was to examine temporary and spatial changes in vegetation cover impact on rainfall, examine the trends of rainfall and the correlation between rainfalls with vegetation cover change during the study period. The study methods were undertaken using NDVI, change detection, Mann-Kendall's and Sen's slope test and correlation analysis. This study explores using NDVI analysis, the vegetation cover was shown 13.5% in 1990, 29.8% in 2000, 20.2% in 2010, 31.3% in 2020 and 24.1 in 2024 over the study area. Therefore, the amount of vegetation cover has been regenerated by about 89,272 hectares (10.7%) in the past 35 years in the study area. this study results, the minimum, maximum and mean rainfalls have declined trend lines of 0.497, 0.81 and 0.26mm per year over the past 35 years period (1990-2024) respectively. Statistically non-significant trends were shown in maximum and mean rainfall but not in minimum rainfall. However, the analysis of the trend line explained that the minimum, maximum, and mean rainfalls were changed by the factors of -0.497 mm, -0.81mm, and -0.26 mm per year respectively. The mean rainfall of the vegetated area was greater than the mean rainfall of non-vegetated area for all reference years. This indicates areas with low vegetation cover or low NDVI values have shown low mean rainfall. Based on the coefficient of determination, 3% of vegetation cover change was caused by rainfall in the study area. All the residents of Wag Hemra zone are to strengthen the protection of the vegetation cover in the study area and encourage afforestation work.
    },
     year = {2025}
    }
    

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  • TY  - JOUR
    T1  - Evaluation of the Changes of Vegetation Cover Impact on Rainfall Using Remote Sensing in Wag Hemra Zone, Amhara Region, Ethiopia
    
    AU  - Wendimnew Getachew Alemu
    Y1  - 2025/10/30
    PY  - 2025
    N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajrs.20251302.12
    DO  - 10.11648/j.ajrs.20251302.12
    T2  - American Journal of Remote Sensing
    JF  - American Journal of Remote Sensing
    JO  - American Journal of Remote Sensing
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    EP  - 86
    PB  - Science Publishing Group
    SN  - 2328-580X
    UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajrs.20251302.12
    AB  - Landsat imagery has the ability to assess the effect of vegetation cover change on rainfall. CHRIPS data was also used to analyze rainfall time series and trend line from 1990-2024. The goal of this study was to examine temporary and spatial changes in vegetation cover impact on rainfall, examine the trends of rainfall and the correlation between rainfalls with vegetation cover change during the study period. The study methods were undertaken using NDVI, change detection, Mann-Kendall's and Sen's slope test and correlation analysis. This study explores using NDVI analysis, the vegetation cover was shown 13.5% in 1990, 29.8% in 2000, 20.2% in 2010, 31.3% in 2020 and 24.1 in 2024 over the study area. Therefore, the amount of vegetation cover has been regenerated by about 89,272 hectares (10.7%) in the past 35 years in the study area. this study results, the minimum, maximum and mean rainfalls have declined trend lines of 0.497, 0.81 and 0.26mm per year over the past 35 years period (1990-2024) respectively. Statistically non-significant trends were shown in maximum and mean rainfall but not in minimum rainfall. However, the analysis of the trend line explained that the minimum, maximum, and mean rainfalls were changed by the factors of -0.497 mm, -0.81mm, and -0.26 mm per year respectively. The mean rainfall of the vegetated area was greater than the mean rainfall of non-vegetated area for all reference years. This indicates areas with low vegetation cover or low NDVI values have shown low mean rainfall. Based on the coefficient of determination, 3% of vegetation cover change was caused by rainfall in the study area. All the residents of Wag Hemra zone are to strengthen the protection of the vegetation cover in the study area and encourage afforestation work.
    
    VL  - 13
    IS  - 2
    ER  - 

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