This study was undertaken mainly to 1) investigate temporal trends in annual rainfall and temperature; 2) identify discontinuities in the time series; and 3) assess the Land Use/Land Cover Change (LULC) in the Somone coastal lagoon, within the river basin. The study examined temporal trends in rainfall (1931-2016) and temperature (1961-2016) datasets of Somone river basin, and breaks in time series using Mann-Kendall non-parametric test and other suitable statistical tools. Temporal evolution in LULC was assessed for the years 1954, 1978, 2003 and 2016. Analysis indicates a significant decreasing trend in precipitation over the basin. These trends are much more pronounced for minimum and average rainfall than for maximum and annual amplitudes. Contrary to precipitation, surface air temperature shows a significant increasing trend for its minimum and averages, and a decreasing trend for its maximum and amplitudes. A significant break in precipitation was observed in 1958, while surface air temperature presents much longer breaks within the years 1975 and 1977, and 1991 and 1993. A more direct implication of climate change on LULC patterns is increased in unproductive salt pans (Sabkhas). Increase in Sabkhas gave rise to conversion of forest lands to agricultural lands of local farmers in search for fertile soils to cater for the food needs of a growing population. Otherwise, the development of the settlements, favored by the tourism activity and agriculture crisis, is another cause of croplands decreasing. The findings of the present research clearly indicate that the impacts of climate change are exacerbated by rapid urbanization in the basin.

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In many developing countries, some natural areas are faced with gaps in appropriate map coverage mainly on land use and land cover (LULC) changes. This situation makes it difficult to plan and implement natural environmental protection and natural resource management programs. Remote sensing and geographic information systems (GIS) are excellent tools for mapping LULC changes. This study investigated LULC changes in 'Somone' coastal lagoon in Senegal using multisource remote sensed data. Data sets included aerial photographs recorded in March 1954, and February 1978, as well as satellite images recorded in February 2003 and April 2016. All images were geometrically corrected and segmented. Photos and/or images interpretations were made with the aid of computer and post-classification change detection technique was applied to classify multisource data and to map changes. Stratified sampling was used to assess all classification results.