Two-Decade Land Cover Transformation in Bikaner District: A Remote Sensing Analysis Using MODIS Time-Series and Google Earth Engine

Abstract

 Land Use and Land Cover Change (LUCC) changes represent some of the most visible transformations of the Earth's surface, particularly in fragile arid ecosystems. In the Bikaner district of Rajasthan, part of the Thar Desert, these changes have been accelerated by both climatic variability and significant human interventions, most notably the introduction of the Indira Gandhi Canal.

This study utilizes a multi-temporal remote sensing approach to analyze land cover transformations between 2001 and 2024. By integrating MODIS time-series data and cloud-based processing via Google Earth Engine (GEE), a supervised classification was conducted to monitor transitions across major classes, including bare land, cropland, and grassland.

The findings indicate a profound shift in the regional landscape. The analysis reveals a significant decline in bare land from 6,979.00 km² in 2001 to 2,350.22 km² in 2024. In contrast, cropland expanded substantially from 1,043.20 km² to 5,019.87 km², largely due to irrigation development. Grassland also showed a substantial gain, nearly doubling in area, though spatial analysis reveals a more fragmented and heterogeneous pattern in 2024 compared to the contiguous desert surfaces of 2001Grassland increased from 1,930.58 km² to 3,732.03 km², although spatial patterns indicate heterogeneous distribution with localized degradation.

The analysis demonstrates that while Bikaner remains a sensitive arid zone, irrigation-led development has successfully reclaimed vast tracts of barren land. These results provide a critical scientific basis for sustainable land-use planning, resource management, and climate resilience strategies in the north-western desert regions of India.

Keywords- Land Use/Cover Change (LUCC), Bikaner District, Google Earth Engine (GEE), MODIS Time-Series, Arid Ecosystem, Indira Gandhi Canal, Remote Sensing, Sustainable Land Management, Thar Desert.