Monitoring of water resources based on remote sensing and ground data, a comprehensive analysis of human and climate impact

Khuzestan province in Iran is facing serious water challenges due to the development of agriculture, industries and urbanization. These challenges differ between surface water (SW) and groundwater (GW) resources. Failure to pay attention to water tensions has exacerbated environmental and social crises, therefore, it is very important to investigate the impact of climatic and human factors on Khuzestan’s water resources. This study explored the effects of climate change and human activities on the water resources of Khuzestan province by collecting and analyzing comprehensive data on Precipitation (P), Evaporation (E), Land Surface Temperature (LST), Evapotranspiration (ET), SW, and groundwater storage (GWS) using remote sensing data, meteorological data, and CMIP6 reports. Pearson’s correlation coefficients were used to examine the effects of parameters on water resources. The findings of the research show trend in LST (0.04 °C/yr), P (1.04 mm/yr) and E (1.1 mm/yr) during the period 2000–2021 and GWS (− 23.02 mm/yr) during the period 2003–2021. The highest water stress was observed in 2008 and 2010. Among climatic factors, GWS exhibited a significant positive relationship with ET (R²: 0.5, p-value < 0.05) and a significant negative relationship with LST (R²: − 0.6, p-value < 0.05). These significant relationships were confirmed by Pearson’s correlation coefficients at the 95% confidence level. These results highlight the necessity of paying more attention to the consumption of groundwater and planning for better management. It is suggested that the processes of population spatial changes and the impact of climatic parameters on water resources be further investigated to identify the influencing factors over both long and short-term periods.