Gabriele et al. (2026) A remote sensing–based assessment of long-term vegetation dynamics following dam construction in a Mediterranean watershed (Cyprus)

⚠️ Warning: This summary was generated from the abstract only, as the full text was not available.

Identification

• Journal: Applied Geomatics
• Year: 2026
• Date: 2026-09-21
• Authors: Marzia Gabriele, Eleni Loulli
• DOI: 10.1007/s12518-026-00795-y

Research Groups

Not specified in the provided text.

Short Summary

The study utilizes a 40-year Landsat EVI time series to demonstrate that the Klirou–Malounta–Akaki Dam caused a delayed greening of the riparian corridor in Cyprus, driven by groundwater stabilization rather than climate variability.

Objective

• To disentangle dam-driven riparian vegetation changes from background climate variability using multi-decadal spectral records and spatially explicit attribution diagnostics.

Study Configuration

• Spatial Scale: Downstream riparian corridor of the Klirou–Malounta–Akaki Dam (Akaki/Serrachis River), central Cyprus, specifically focusing on a ~400 m right-bank corridor.
• Temporal Scale: 40 years (1984–2024).

Methodology and Data

• Models used: Random Forest calibration pipeline (for cross-sensor harmonisation), Mann–Kendall trend tests, Wilcoxon rank-sum and level-shift tests, and Pettitt change-point analysis.
• Data sources: Landsat 5 TM, Landsat 7 ETM+, and Landsat 8 OLI Collection 2 Surface Reflectance products (processed via Google Earth Engine and R); precipitation records from two local gauges.

Main Results

• Climate Stability: No significant long-term precipitation trend ($\tau = -0.003, p = 0.566$) and no significant shift in precipitation before and after dam commissioning ($p = 0.061$).
• Vegetation Response: A coherent, delayed greening response was identified in a ~400 m right-bank riparian corridor.
• Quantitative Gains: The most responsive pixels exhibited EVI increases of 75–92% relative to the pre-dam baseline.
• Temporal Lag: The strongest greening signal occurred between 2011 and 2015, representing a lag of approximately 4 years following the 2007 dam commissioning, attributed to groundwater stabilization.
• Ecological Composition: Field validation confirmed the expansion of non-native Eucalyptus spp. and phreatophytic understory due to reduced flood disturbance and stabilized shallow moisture.

Contributions

• Provides a transferable methodological template for monitoring dam impacts on riparian vegetation in Mediterranean and semi-arid regions.
• Demonstrates how spectral greening can be used to inform environmental-flow policy and riparian restoration planning.

Funding

Not specified in the provided text.

Citation

@article{Gabriele2026remote,
  author = {Gabriele, Marzia and Loulli, Eleni},
  title = {A remote sensing–based assessment of long-term vegetation dynamics following dam construction in a Mediterranean watershed (Cyprus)},
  journal = {Applied Geomatics},
  year = {2026},
  doi = {10.1007/s12518-026-00795-y},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1007/s12518-026-00795-y}
}