Climate change is the greatest threat facing our planet today that can have profound effects onprecipitation, evapotranspiration and soil moisture with increasing temperatures. In this study,the hydrological processes and recharge ability of various land use types in Sathaiyar RiverSub Basin (Vaigai Basin), Tamil Nadu were analyzed. The hydrologic cycle will be intensifi edwith more evaporation and 600 – 800 mm precipitation. While climate change affects surfacewater resources directly through changes in the major long-term climate variables viz., airtemperature, precipitation, and evapotranspiration, the relationship between the changingclimate variables and groundwater is more complicated and poorly understood in this studyarea. The impact of land use change was investigated based on water balance modeling,RS and GIS. The standard land use of the model was replaced with a more accurate datasetviz., 1990, 2000 and 2010 LANDSAT–MSS imageries, meteorological, groundwater andhydrogeologic data of the study area. Results indicated that the climate changes are mostlydue to increased heat capacity of urban structures and reduced evaporation and infi ltration ofwater in the urban environment. This variation has primarily come from an increased urbanarea and rural settlements and decrease in cropland.
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