Soil hydrological impacts and climatic controls of land use and land cover changes in the Upper Blue Nile (Abay) basin

This thesis investigates land use and land cover change (LULCC) and its links with soil hydrology, soil degradation and climate variability through combining results from fieldwork, laboratory work and Remote Sensing. Seasonal, inter-annual and broad timescale land transitions are analyzed for a robust identification of biophysical change. The determinants of LULCC are determined using spatially explicit statistical modelling of most systematic land transitions. This thesis explores soil hydrological impacts of LULCC for a better soil water management. The thesis further explores the climatic controls of the observed trends in vegetated land cover for improved understanding of the link between climate and carbon fixation and water use by vegetation.