Evaluation of Desertification Intensity using Spectral Indices Resulting from Satellite Images the Case Study of Bandar Mahshahr County

Desertification is one of the factors in the destruction of natural ecosystems in arid regions of the world. Knowing the areas exposed to desertification is very important to combat this phenomenon. Remote sensing is a practical tool for evaluating and monitoring land degradation and desertification. The current research aims at the desertification intensity evaluation in Bandar Mahshahr County based on the spectral indices derived from satellite images. To begin with, utilized the ENVI software to extract several indices, such as NDVI, SAVI, RVI, TGSI, and Albedo, from the satellite image captured by the Landsat 8 OLI in the region. Then, Linear regression was utilized to determine correlations of spectral indices in the region, and the desertification intensity in the region was classified. The results showed that the correlation coefficient between NDVI and Albedo indices was -0.83, between SAVI and Albedo indices was -0.78, and between RVI and Albedo indices was -0.77. The correlation coefficient between TGSI and Albedo indices was 0.86. The higher correlation between TGSI and Albedo indicates that the Albedo-TGSI model is more appropriate for evaluating the desertification intensity in the region. The desertification map of the Albedo-TGSI model showed that the areas with less desertification intensity are located mainly in the northern and eastern parts, and the areas with more desertification intensity were situated in the southern and southwestern parts of the region