1,1,2,3,1- 1Interdisciplinary Department of Remote Sensing and GIS Applications, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, U.P., India (gh0438@myamu.ac.in)
- 2Department of Geological Sciences, George Washington University, Washington, D.C., USA (akhan191@jh.edu)
- 3Krieger School of Arts and Sciences, Advanced Academic Programs, John Hopkins Bloomberg Center, Washington, DC 20001, USA (akhan191@jh.edu)
Wetlands are very sensitive hydrological ecosystems that are essential for groundwater recharge, flood control, and biodiversity. Climate variability, changed river regimes, and unsustainable anthropogenic pressures are all posing new challenges to their stability. The current work evaluates the two-decade hydro-climatic dynamics of the Haiderpur Wetland (Ganga River, India) by merging optical (Landsat), radar (Sentinel-1), and gridded climate (ERA5, CHIRPS) datasets with GRACE-based groundwater anomalies. On the Google Earth Engine (GEE), processing of time-series Landsat (NDVI, NDWI, LST) and Sentinel-1 (SAR) data to monitor all-weather surface inundation and vegetation structure. To disentangle climatic and anthropogenic drivers, these remote sensing products are statistically correlated against ERA5-Land (Evapotranspiration) and CHIRPS (Precipitation) data, alongside GRACE groundwater anomalies. The findings demonstrated a considerable downward trend in pre-monsoon NDWI and wetland water distribution. This was accompanied by a significant increase in LST and an unexpected increase in NDVI. All-weather Sentinel-1 data validated the drying trend. On the other hand, 'greening' (as indicated by NDVI) in a drying environment suggests a structural shift from native wetland vegetation to more drought-tolerant or invasive terrestrial plants. The study assesses the capability of a multifaceted (optical-radar-climate) GEE strategy to quantify the individual contributions of climatic and anthropogenic factors, while also monitoring wetland development. Furthermore, these findings quantify the hydro-ecological vulnerability of major Ramsar wetlands and emphasize the vital need for coordinated water management to sustain ecosystems in the Ganga River Basin, with far-reaching implications for global wetland conservation.
Keywords: Hydrology, GRACE, Climate Change, SAR, NDVI, NDWI, LST
How to cite: Ansari, A. A., Hasan Khan, H., Khan, A., and Sajid, M.: Hydro-Ecological Vulnerability of Ganga River Wetland (India): A Multi-Sensor Remote Sensing and GRACE-based Assessment of the Haiderpur Ramsar Site, EGU General Assembly 2026, Vienna, Austria, 3–8 May 2026, EGU26-147, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu26-147, 2026.
